The caretaker governor of South Sudan's Upper Nile state Chol Thon has pledged to improve border relations with neighbouring Sudan, calling on local communities to welcome nomadic communities seeking pasture and water.

“We will never close our borders to our brothers from Sudan, especially when they come as normal citizens, with no weapons. We will welcome them," Chol reportedly told a group of traders who visited him to convey their congratulatory messages on behalf of traders association in the area.

Chol, according to the state caretaker information minister, Peter Hoth Tuach, pledged commitment of the state government under his leadership to improve border relationships and to promote economic activities along the border, saying he would strive to push for free movement.

"I hope that the public will join the government in opening a new era of change and hope. The government will lay substantial grounds for and open a way to free movement between our people and for economic activities. Our doors are opened for those who want to visit," he said.