CES Speaker Peter Wani/ Photo @ Juba Monitor courtesy

The speaker of the Central Equatoria state legislative assembly has called for the replacement of the military commander deployed in Kajo-keji County.

Honorable Peter Wani’s call came after revelations that security officers were facilitating illegal logging in Kajo-keji.

On Wednesday, the County Commissioner told the state assembly that unnamed security officers were protecting illegal loggers in the area.

Kenyi Eresto reported that soldiers deployed in the area often provide security for the loggers during harvesting, including facilitating the transportation of the logs out of the County.

In response, Honorable Peter Wani said,” “The logging in Kajo-Keji will not stop even if we change the commissioner, the logging in Kajo-Keji will stop if we change the commander in the ground.”

“The logging will change when the commander is changed or when the soldiers are removed from there and then a new command comes in, then the logging will automatically stop.’

“The logging in Kajo-Keji will not stop when our soldiers are even going without salaries. The logging in Kajo-Keji will never stop if our soldiers are not provided with logistics and this is sincere.”

Eresto suggested that the state governor involve the national government saying “even if we form a committee to go in the ground to follow the issue and come with the report, we will never stop the logging in kajo-keji”.

He went on to recommend that “the only thing is that we push as the parliament the governor to come up with a resolution that lets the governor make some efforts with the national government for the commander in the ground to be changed.”

Economists say illegal logging in South Sudan is persistent in the heavily wooded areas bordering Northern Uganda and DR Congo.

In October 2020, the state government issued an order, banning logging in all of its six counties in an attempt to stop deforestation and preserve some rare tree species.

Commissioner Kenyi Eresto then ordered the companies actively logging in Kajo-keji to cease their activities with immediate effect.

But the illegal activities have persisted.