A boat loaded with USAID items destined for Leer and Mayendit County from Juba. (-)

The Relief and Rehabilitation Commission in Leer County of Unity State has denied allegations that it attempted to confiscate in-kind grant donated for youth empowerment activities by the United States international development agency.

On Friday, a community-based organization accused the RRC of attempted confiscation of the assistance on ground that it was not officially notified about the items.

According to one of the youth organizations, they received 200 chairs per individual organization from the USAID, through its implementing partner, Education Development Center (EDC).

The in-kind grant includes chairs, computers, printers and other items donated to youth and community-based organizations in as part of a youth empowerment project in Leer County.

One of the youth leaders, whom we chose to call Mustafa to protect his identity, said the government-run humanitarian commission had sent police officers to confiscate the items.

Mustafa said the officers later aborted the mission after a partner organization was informed.

But Koang Maet, Deputy Director of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission in Leer County denied any attempt to seize the USAID-donated items.

Maet stated that the RRC only requested documentation and registration from community-based organizations.

“This could not have happened. This is a big lie. We just called the owner of the local NGO here in our office and discussed it with them,” he said.

He further added that RRC’s intention was not to take over the items but to ensure fair and lawful distribution of aid supplies in the area.

“Some of them, the four groups, went to the Trade Union, and then we informed them that if they go to the Trade Union, we need to verify some of them.”

“We found out that some have registration numbers that were issued in Juba and Bentiu, which is why we communicated about that. No one has taken any chairs or other materials from them. This is a blatant lie.”