Kajo-Keji residents mulling return to refugee camps over insecurity: official
Some residents of Kajo-Keji County in Central Equatoria State who had just returned from refugee camps in Uganda are now considering fleeing back to the displacement camps after violent incidents linked to armed groups left them in panic, an official said.
On Wednesday, Central Equatoria governor, Augustino Jadalla, dispatched a five-member security team to Kajokeji County to assess the security situation following a number of incidents including an ambush on 27th July, which killed an SSPDF officer.
Kajo-Keji Commissioner Phanuel Dumo accused the National Salvation Front forces in the area, and the opposition group is yet to respond.
The state Security Advisor Angelo Daya, who led the team, says they will meet with the local authorities and the youth to find out the root causes of conflicts in the border region.
“I am leading a security committee to Kajokeji County to find out what exactly is happening on the ground and meet with all the stakeholders and interact with them including the youths,” he said.
“We have our boys who are still in the bushes; the hold out groups and they are becoming a cause of insecurity and what is happening is affecting our citizens.”
Daya further emphasized that the insecurity is causing panic among the local population with some residents planning to return to refugee camps.
“If there is a problem we sit down and solve amicably than causing insecurity to our citizens who are currently for agricultural work,” he said.
“Now, they are panicking and some are planning to go the camps. I want to assure our citizens that nobody should panic, they are protected.”
Kajo-Keji, which lies at the South Sudan border with Uganda, has recently been rocked by insecurities including banditry, clashes between government troops and opposition forces, and border disputes.
