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Residents of Jebel Lado Payam in Juba County, Central Equatoria State have expressed concern over land grabbing by SSPDF generals.
Residents say the trend has forced them to flee to the island.
Gassim Ibrahim, executive director of the Jebel Lado region, revealed that the land grabbing began on July 17, 2023, and confirmed that two people, Charles Gori and an elderly man, were killed during the displacement. He added that the properties of the displaced people were looted.
“Residents have been displaced to islands and are now suffering from floods due to heavy rains. I appeal to the state and national governments to intervene and resolve the problem,” he said.
Gassim confirmed that the Central Equatoria and national governments had deployed a joint force of the army, police and other security agencies to evict a group of land grabbers and were awaiting directives from higher authorities in Juba to implement the decision.
Franco Joseph noted that a group of armed forces personnel threatened them with guns and forced them to leave the area, adding that land grabbers looted properties.
Joseph called on the Minister of State for Local Government to address their problems as they were forcibly displaced to an island ravaged by floods.
A Jebelado elder who wished to remain anonymous explained that the group that seized the land was doing so in opposition to the South Sudanese government.
“At a time when South Sudan enjoys security and stability, this group seeks to destabilize the country,” he said.
He said the people of Jebel Adu did not want to take the law into their own hands, noting that the Jebel Adu authorities had already allocated all the land through legal means.
“Anyone who wants to get land has to apply for it through legal means, and the biggest problem in South Sudan is land theft by regular forces,” he said.
The Minister of Local Government, Leon Abe Brown, visited Jebel Lado and assured the people that land grabbers would be evicted, stressing that the state government was working to protect every resident of Juba.
Brown confirmed that joint forces have been deployed to evict land grabbers from various parts of Central Equatoria State and are only awaiting instructions from the Centre.
He said the Central Equatoria State government worked day and night to provide every facility to the residents without any discrimination.
“I want to assure you that the national government will work with the Central Equatoria State Government to return the people of Jebelado to their original areas. It is only a matter of time,” he added.
Last July, residents of Jebel Lado were evicted by a group of armed men claiming to be from the South Sudan National Defense Force.
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