A traditional leader of Jo-Bari residential area at Gurei North in Juba County said more than 300 households are at risk of demolition following multiple warnings by the host community.

Andrew Kenyi Laku said in an interview with Eye Radio that the area was established since 2011, with 326 houses and water services from international NGO’s.

He said local chiefs are threatening to demolish the suburban settlement although there is no official letter of demolition submitted to them.

Kenyi added his people did not celebrate the festive season of Christmas and New Year due to the unstable situation.

He appeals to the governor of Central Equatoria state, Augustino Jadalla to intervene and rescue the tense situation in the area.

“This area was established in 2011, and all these times we have been well here, and on 8th December 2024, after the demolition of Matangai, we received news that any person that living in Jo-Bari have to leave the area because they are going to demolish it,” he narrated.

“There’s no official report but the host community is the ones calling us. These threats brought a lot of fear among our people and even during the Christmas and new year, people were not celebrating because people are stable.”

The head of the demarcation committee of the Jo-Bari residential area Samuel Steward Dangami said they have built houses and planted trees in the area for the last 14 years.

“We resided in Jo-Bari in 2012, and we built houses and planted trees here in the area, and also buried our beloved ones, this place we got it from the sons of Jo-Bari of Bari community,” he said.

“They gave us this place and most of them have died and they have been buried, and we have been there.”

“But last December we got shocked with news from someone using a motorcycle informing us that we have to demolish our houses and we have to move from this area.”

On their parts, the representatives of women and youth in the area are also calling on the state government to look into the matter.

“The problem of this plot has a lot of issues but we need is that we want those people to come and demarcate for us this place,” said Jocelyn.

“We have spent thirteen years in this place, those children there’s no place for them to move on, but we want to stay here with our kids and for them to get schools.”

“We spent here almost fourteen years in this year 2025, but in the last moments, they have words that we cannot understand,” said Mubarak Elias.

“For any reason they want to demolish this area we don’t know because there’s no any prove there.”

However, the Chief of Jo-Bari village Rodento Jada described the residents of Jo-Bari area as land grabbers, adding the area should be demolished because it is their village.

“This place is a village and those who entered there are land grabbers,” he stated.

“Those people went there in a way that even the chief of this village doesn’t know them and even they don’t know the chief of this village, we will demolish them because they entered there illegally.”