Wau Railway station. (-)

The government of Western Bhar El Ghazal state has suspended the demarcation and allocation of plots along a railway land in Wau and ordered the demolition of houses built on the area.

Last month, the manager of Wau Railway Station raised concerns over squatters building on railway land and urged the national government to intervene.

This prompted the appointment of a fact-finding committee by the state governor to investigate the issue.

The head of the committee, who is also the state minister of commerce, Akol Majok, said the governor directed the postponement of any distribution activities in railway land.

Speaking on state-owned television SSBC on Thursday, he added that the committee is investigating the culprits behind the demarcation and distribution of land on the Wau Railway line.

“The governor of the state issued a decision to stop any demarcation activities and distribution regarding the land belonging to the railway line,” Majok said.

“The order concerned officials in the Ministry of Land and Infrastructure and citizens who are building on land belonging to the railway.”

“The order was issued to the fact-finding committee to remove any encroachment on railway land by citizens and to investigate the officials about the dividing of railway lands to become housing for citizens.”

Wau railway line was built in 1964 to link Western the Bahr el Ghazal State capital, Wau, to Babanusa Town in Southern Kordofan State in Sudan.

However, the line ceased to operate in 1984 after the outbreak of Sudan’s second civil war after SPLA fighters sabotaged the line that they believed was used to ferry weapons and logistics.

It was rehabilitated using funds from the Unity Support Fund during the six-year interim period prescribed by the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

The Fund was established to make unity attractive by promoting economic development throughout the north-south border areas using oil revenues.

However, there have been no trains using the railway line since its rehabilitation.