Up to 300 houses have been vacated by those who illegally occupied them since the conflict started in December 2013 at Jebel Dinka suburb in Juba, the acting SPLA spokesperson has said.

Col Santo Domic says the families decided to leave the houses voluntarily. The owners had moved to the UN camps during the fighting. Some of those who had illegally occupied the homes were soldiers.

This month, the army said it was implementing an order from the President, asking those who occupied other people’s houses to leave to allow the owners to return and participate in the national dialogue.

Col Domic told Eye Radio that the army is not using force to implement the order.

“Since yesterday we have handed-over 80% of these houses which were illegally taken away from their owners,” he said.

Col Domic said the committee will move to other areas around Juba for the same process.

The army estimates that 3,000 houses in different suburbs in Juba were occupied illegally since December 2013.

At the beginning of the exercise earlier this month, the army said those who had settled in other people’s homes would be given plots at Jebel Dinka.