Juba County paramount chief calls for land regulation

Juba County Paramount Chief Angelo Ladu Lino warned against the rampant land grabbing that has caused conflicts in Juba suburbs, calling on the government to intervene and enforce land laws.

Ladu termed the illegal land acquisition and commercialization as unacceptable and said it could trigger bigger conflicts among civilians if the government does not intervene.

“There are land issues in Juba County. I fear that this will lead to bigger problems. I call on the government to intervene because it has the power and to stop the plundering of lands so that we can live in peace,” Ladu said at a dialogue organized by Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative.

The chief’s statement followed similar remarks from the Speaker of Central Equatoria parliament – who condemns “illegal acquisition” of land in the state for the purpose of making profit, while encouraging citizens to acquire land in a lawful manner.

Peter Wani Elia, underscored that many people from across the country living in Juba are in need of land in the capital city, while pointing out that others take it for money – a practice he said, constitutes a fundamental problem that the government should pay attention to.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ladu said that the indigenous communities and local governments are not refusing to give out the lands but that it must be allocated in accordance with the law.

According to him, land-related conflicts can be avoided if the resource is acquired by law and not by force.

“We do not refuse to give the land, but this must be done in accordance with the law and order, but not by force, but rather by requesting the responsible authorities.”

“But we refuse to seize the lands that were planned intentionally and have their owners, and the plundering of the lands is one of the reasons for the lack of security in the country.”

The dialogue brought together stakeholders from the parliament, land commission, ministry of housing, chiefs, payam administrators and other stakeholders to deliberate and raise awareness on curbing land-related conflicts in Juba.