Category: Politics

President Kiir holds bilateral talks with DR Congo counterpart.

President Salva Kiir has held bilateral talks with the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Juba.

President Felix Tshisekedi arrived in Juba on Sunday.

The heads of state discussed a number of issues including security, cross-border trade, and infrastructure development.

“We have talked mostly on trade and security across our borders. I congratulated the president and expressed our full support to him and the Congolese people on their country’s recent admission to the East African Community,” President Kiir told the press.

“We know that we have problems within our common borders but we will work hard to solve those problems.”

It is the first time a sitting Congolese President has visited South Sudan since its independence.

The two leaders are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding soon.

“More details of the areas discussed will be worked out and finalized by our respective teams,” Mr. Kiir said.

For his part, President Felix emphasized the construction of a road connecting the two countries in order to enhance trade and food security.

Governor Adil orders plot owners to build or lose ownership.

The governor of Central Equatoria State has given landowners a year’s ultimatum to build their unused plots or lose the ownership.

Emmanuel Adil Anthony said the state government has discovered that some individuals have acquired more than 10 plots that are not developed in the suburbs of Juba City and other towns of the state.

Speaking at the state secretariat in Juba yesterday, Adil asserted that any piece of land that is not built is bound to attract potential land grabbers.

“We discovered one person may have ten or fifteen plots. We encourage the land owners to develop plots allotted to them and any piece of plot that is not developed, is subject to temptation, you don’t develop it within half a year, we give you a warning,” Governor Adil said.

He told land owners to occupy their plots to reduce the temptation of land grabbing.

“My leadership is encouraging land owners to embark on building estates, flats with the correct requirements and specifications,” he said.

Several residential areas in Juba city have seen increasing cases of land grabbing that have resulted in violence and insecurities in recent months.

On Tuesday, residents of Jondoru, Kor-Wolliang and Kasire in Juba engaged in brief clashes with land grabbers, injuring at least two people.

The suburban settlers appealed to the state authorities to immediately deploy organized forces to de-escalate the tension.

Governor Emmanuel Adil however said the measures will address the issue of land grabbing.

He also said failure to honor the one year ultimatum will lead to the confiscation of some plots by the government.

“If one year closes according to the land policy, we will withdraw that piece of plot from you. This is the decision we have taken.”

He warned that anyone who settled illegally on already demarcated land will be forcefully evicted.

Adil also disclosed his government’s plans to digitize land parcels as a measure to curb conflicts related to land.

The recurrent land related conflicts are attributed to the rapidly growing population in the city.

Authorities also believe the high value for land in Juba has resulted in illicit practices of land from powerless rightful owners.

South Sudan on path of achieving total peace, President Kiir

President Salva Kiir has called for more efforts from the peace parties in order to safeguard the 2018 peace deal.

He made the remarks Wednesday at the State House, J1 where he hosted the Muslims community for an IFTAR Breakfast celebrations.

The occasion was attended by top government officials including First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and Vice President for Service Cluster, Hussein Abdelbagi, among many others.

According to Kiir, the country is moving in the right direction and there is a need to maintain it.

 “Thanks God we are on the way to total peace in our country and we must thank all our friends who have been standing with us working for peace. Let us keep the direction so that we don’t lose the direction and return to war. Let’s safeguard the peace,” he said.

President said the five-year conflict destroyed the country, forcing those who wanted to help South Sudan withdraw their support.

“We have spoiled our country and we must go back to our senses so that there is no war between neighbor, among tribes or states.”

But since the parties have stopped the war, Kiir said, he is hopeful the donors and investors will come back into South Sudan.

“When we fell into war among us, all the promises made to us and things that were supposed to be delivered stopped. Because they say, if they give us the money, it means they have thrown it into the ocean.”

‘“Now that we have stopped fighting among ourselves, these people will come,” the head of state concluded.

With just a year left to the end of the transitional period, the peace parties are yet trading accusations over the slow implementation of the peace agreement.

They are yet to implement key provisions of the peace deal including the graduation of the unified forces which the international community and observers view as a determinant to stability of the country.

Adil, Lobong demand enactment of laws to regulate cattle keepers.

The governors of Eastern and Central Equatoria have recommended the enactment of a legal framework to regulate the movement of cattle keepers in the states.

Governor Emmanuel Adil and Louis Lobong made the appeal during questioning by the Council of States to explain insecurity related to herders in the region on Wednesday .

Responding to inquiries by the lawmakers, Governor Louis Lobong of Eastern Equatoria State suggested the need to enact laws to address the frictions between farmers and the pastoralists.

“In order to avoid clashes between cattle keepers and the predominantly farming communities as well as between different cattle keeping communities, there is a need to establish a legal framework to guide the movement of cattle in South Sudan,” he said.

He also emphasized on the need to strengthen law enforcement agencies for effective curtailing of conflict situations in the states.

“The organized forces in the States are poorly equipped. They lack the logistics needed for robust and effective interventions. Therefore I plead with you to lobby for a security fund to be allocated to the States to help them equip and prepare the organized forces for urgent response to security situations,” Governor Lobong stated.

Tensions have reportedly continued following the incidents between cattle keepers and the host communities.

Last week, herders and the host communities clashed in the areas of Abara, Ayii, Kit and Agoro-Somboro in Magwi County leaving scores dead and hundreds of others displaced.

“The presence of such laws and proper sensitization of our citizens will be of great importance in preventing clashes between different communities,” Lobong added.

For his part, Emmanuel Adil Anthony who is the governor of Central Equatoria state echoed the remarks of Louise Lobong.

‘The enactment of laws to regulate the movement of cattle across the State is one of the steps we believe will significantly mitigate the recurring cattle related conflicts.”

Adil said the security forces need logistical support to help particularly in the evacuation of the herders and to regulate the movement of the herders.

“Inadequate financial support from the national government to provide logistics for the forces engaged in the cattle evacuation exercise.”

Conflict between farmers and cattle keepers in some parts of the Equatoria region remains a major security concern.

In the recent years, there have been reports of cattle grazing uncontrollably on farmlands, destroying precious food crops cultivated by settled communities in areas like Pageri, Abara, Agoro, Omeyo, Ayii, Nyolo, and parts of western Torit County.

This is in defiance of a 2015 order by President Salva Kiir for the evacuation of cattle from the Equatoria region.

A committee was set up to ensure that the animals were returned to their respective states, but these have not been implemented due to unclear reasons.

When asked why the presidential orders for the evacuation of cattle from the Equatoria region were not effected, the Minister for Presidential Affairs, Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjaminhe argued that the two orders were implemented.

“Honorable Speaker, my answer is, they have been implemented. Whether they have followed up to the right conclusions is another thing but the implementation was there and I gave you one example of one of our citizens who responded to the order and took his cattle where they should be,” he said.

Marial also concurred with the governors’ call for laws regulating movement of cattle in designated farmlands.

However, on Monday, authorities of Mugali Payam in Eastern Equatoria’s Magwi County decried displacement of the natives due continued harassment allegedly by herders in the area.  

Cattle keepers, the local authorities described as “Illegal IDPs”, allegedly attacked Avumadrici area, allegedly abducting and raping a 13-year old girl last week.

In a written statement, the area leaders said residents are still experiencing unprecedented violence including looting of their properties.

They noted that the settlers went on rampage immediately after the recent visit of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deng Dau, and UN agencies to the area.

 

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