Member of public during the meeting between host community and Bor IDPs in Nimule - Credit: EES Governor Media Unit, May 16, 2022

The two-day meeting between the host community and IDPs herders in Magwi County of Eastern Equatoria state has resolved for the evacuation of cattle from the area.

Over the weekend, a high-level security team led by the Chief of Defense Force went to Magwi County to diffuse the tensions in the area.

The team comprises the Chief of Defense Forces, Gen. Santino Deng Wol, the Inspector General of Police, Gen. Majak Kech Malok, and the Director General of the Internal Security Bureau of the National Security Service, Gen. Akol Koor, among other senior officers.

They arrived in Nimule town and were received by Eastern Equatoria governor, Louis Lobong Lojore.

The visit came after the killing of Sergeant Major, Odongi Charles Juma and warrant officer, Joseph Taban, by suspected cattle keepers in Nimule town last week.

The incident followed the recent clashes in the Mugali area which left scores dead and several injured.

The team met with representatives of both the cattle keepers and the host communities to listen to their grievances.

Bishop Raymond Alex of the Christian Brotherhood Church read out the resolution of the meetings with the security chiefs and the cattle keepers.

“Immediate evacuation of cattle from Magwi County, no IDP camp in Magwi, all the camps here have been closed since 2017 because we are at peace, ” Raymond Alex read the statement on behalf of the host communities on Monday.

“If you are from other areas, not EES, you should be respectful of chiefs here, this is well known everywhere it should also be considered here,

“We want our sons and daughters to be part of revenue collection generating institutions. The army barracks should be relocated outside the town, the community has already allocated enough land for them outside town.”

In 2017, President Salva Kiir issued a decree ordering cattle keepers to move all their livestock out of the greater Equatoria region.

A committee was also set up to ensure that the animals were returned to their respective states.

However, the decree seems to have not been implemented due to unclear reasons.

The resolutions:

• Immediate evacuation of cattle from Magwei County.
• No IDP camps in the area (peace agreement is being implemented).
• The Chief’s activities should be under the responsibility of EES.
• Sons and daughters of the area should be included in the revenue collection exercise, at least 2%.
• Military barracks should be relocated to its designated area, far from town.
• Land grabbing should be addressed by the state government.
• Illegal checkpoints should be removed by the government to ease the movement of people, goods and traders.
• Disarmament exercise should be conducted.