Angry residents yesterday forcefully closed a customs post on the border with Sudan in protest over Tuesday's attack by troops from Southern Sudan.

The demonstrators, numbering in the hundreds, forced the closure of Afogi Customs Post, a key trade gateway to the Eastern Equatoria State of South Sudan as a dispute over ownership of land near the border escalated yesterday.

Agitated residents, some of whom trekked 15 kilometres from villages in Lefori Sub-county, scene of the incursion by the foreign troops, stormed Moyo town and had by 2p.m. shut all shops run by Sudanese nationals - the lead entrepreneurs here.

The usually thriving cross-border trade between Moyo and South Sudan's Kajo Keji Township was paralysed as angry youth, buoyed by commercial motorcycle riders (Boda Boda), felled huge trees to block the international thoroughfare.

UPDF soldiers and anti-riot police were hurriedly deployed to restrain the angry mob from invading Moyo Hospital to evict patients of Sudanese origin in a day of unrest likely to cause diplomatic headache for both Kampala and Juba.

The uproar, touched off by alleged unchecked harassment of Moyo residents by Sudanese People's Liberation Army soldiers over the last two years, could potentially jeopardise the lives of Ugandans living in parts of South Sudan.

Two other border crossing points at Nimule and Oraba remained open yesterday. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary, Mr James Mugume yesterday called for restraint by parties to the misunderstanding on who owns the land in Gwere Parish, Lefori Sub-county.

"The most important thing is that we need to re-mark and verify our borders so that they do not become a flashpoint of conflict for communities living near the border," he said. Cabinet recently endorsed a February 2009 African Union resolution requiring countries with border disputes to settle the matters through permanent border verification committees.

As a result, said Ambassador Mugume, Uganda has largely resolved its border problems with Tanzania and Rwanda while agreements have been signed to sort similar contests with the Kenyan and Congolese governments.

Uganda's myriad border problems straddle from Mutukula in the south to Migingo on Lake Victoria and up on the eastern flank to Amudat in Moroto District.

In 2007, Ugandan and Congolese soldiers briefly fought over the ownership of Rukwanzi Island on Lake Albert following oil discoveries in that region, a skirmish that eventually triggered other border disputes at Goli and Vurra Custom posts in Nebbi and Arua Districts, respectively.

In the Tuesday incident, seven heavily-armed SPLA soldiers reportedly raided Lefori, shooting in the air to chase about 200 residents from farmlands the soldiers claimed are on Sudan soil.

Mr Ciec Mayor, the Government of South Sudan's First Secretary to Uganda, said: "I cannot comment now because I need to consult with the district commissioner of Kajo Keji to confirm whether the soldiers attacked people in Moyo."

Moyo District Chairman, Mr Peter Iku-Dollo, warned the demonstrators against attacking Sudanese refugees who have lived in the region for over 20 years. "I also strongly advise Sudanese local authorities to stop this unnecessary provocation and regard Ugandans as real friends," he said.

These incidents come less than two months before celebrations to mark the 2009 Obongi Day in Moyo District to which President Museveni and his counterpart Gen. Salva Kiir of the Government of South Sudan have been invited.

Obongi County MP Hassan Fungaroo said yesterday that the event is meant to bid farewell to thousands of Sudanese refugees returning home under the ongoing voluntary repatriation exercise and "remind them not to forget the hospitality Ugandans offered them as exiles."

By press time, the UPDF 409 Brigade Commander, Lt. Col. Martin Ndyanabo was due to arrive in Moyo to coordinate deployments as the army moved to ring-fence the border enclave.