Technical committees from South Sudan and Uganda have started locating the borderline between the two countries, an official has said.

There have been clashes between communities in the border areas of Kajo-keji of South Sudan and in the Ugandan district of Moyo over land issues.

Similar border disputes with Uganda have been reported in the former Eastern Equatoria State.

South Sudanese communities accuse their neighbors in Uganda of encroaching on their land. But the Ugandan side claims ownership.

The Spokesperson in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb Mawien Makol, says they will use colonial maps to demarcate the border.

“A technical committee was actually sent to the hotspots in the border to locate the real border [line] that was established by the colonizers,” Amb Makol confirmed to Eye Radio. “From there, people will be able to agree on the actual borders.”

Amb Makol says the demarcation process is being carried out with funding from the African Union.

The Ugandan newspaper, the New Vision, quotes the Ugandan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oryem Okello as saying that the demarcation will mainly be done in areas where violence has been rampant.

Mr. Oryem also says the exercise will help boost bilateral trade relations between the two countries.