A signpost marks the administrative center of Lado Payam, where more than 22,000 plots were allocated for settlement and investment in the Nyamini and Lodimi areas of Juba County. Photo: Jeniffer Nyling

Leaders from the Nyangwara-Pojulu- Tijor communities in Lado Payam, Juba County, have petitioned the Central Equatoria State government to stop ongoing land allocation in the Nyamini area.

Nyamini is located about 12 miles northwest of Juba.

In a statement posted on the state government’s official Facebook page, representatives from the Nyangwara-Pojulu Tijor community said the land being distributed is still under dispute between their community and the Kuda Lodimi community.

They called for an immediate halt to the land exercise.

The community also expressed concern over the exclusion of their members from the committee in charge of distributing the plots.

“We came to lodge our complaint with the Acting Governor because land demarcation is currently taking place in Nyamini. We demand our rightful place and reject the ongoing process,” said Juma Jaden Lado, deputy chairman of the Nyangwara-Pojulu Tijor community.

Yapete Mogga, another community member, urged the state government to stop the distribution of land tokens and halt the demarcation process.

He called for the formation of a neutral committee to address the dispute and listen to all affected communities.

“We propose that neighboring communities Nyangwara-Pojulu Tijor, Kuda Lodimi, Yaro, Nyorja Lo Mere, Illikare, and Gurrum bring their landlords to traditionally declare and swear on ancestral land borders,” Mogga demanded.

Last week, community leaders from Nyamini and Lodimi announced they had agreed to give out 22,700 plots of land for residential and investment purposes.

Speaking to Eye Radio, the leaders said the decision was made to meet the growing housing demand in Juba.

In response, the Acting Governor, Pualino Luduku Obede, assured the communities that the state government is committed to resolving the matter peacefully and fairly.

Land disputes are common in Juba and have sometimes led to violent clashes. There has also been a rise in land grabbing cases, with reports accusing some powerful individuals of being behind the incidents.