JCC Mayor Sarafino Wani and UoJ VC shake hands after Friday meeting|Courtesy

Juba City Council and the University of Juba have reached a temporary agreement to allow traders affected by the Nyakuron Market fire to operate temporarily in the Custom Market area for at least two years.

The decision follows a joint meeting on Friday between City Mayor Christopher Sarafino Wani Swaka and Vice-Chancellor Professor Robert Mayom Deng.

The fire, which occurred on December 1, destroyed hundreds of stalls and caused losses worth millions, leaving many traders without livelihoods.

Following the meeting, Mayor Wani Swaka said, the city council and the university discussed how best to support the traders during this difficult period, while acknowledging that the land belongs to the university.

“We have just concluded a meeting with the administration of the University of Juba under the leadership of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Robert Mayom Deng regarding the situation of Nyakuron Market. As all of us are aware, Nyakuron Market was gutted by fire, and you have traders who have been there,” Mayor Wani Swaka said.

“We empathize with their situation and are working together with the university on the future of these traders, because the land in question belongs to the University of Juba.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Robert Mayom Deng said this is the first time the university is publicly addressing the incident.

He said that the university wants to provide temporary space for one to two years while long-term expansion plans, particularly for the School of Medicine, are implemented.

“This is the first time the institution, which is Juba University, is talking to the public about what happened on the 1st of December. We empathize with those affected and want to provide them with the land temporarily so they can operate for about one or two years.

“The long-term plan is to expand the institution, especially the School of Medicine, which is currently very congested,” Professor Deng explained.