Juba land grabbers sentenced to six months in prison

At least eight of the 50 suspected land grabbers arrested in Gondokoro were sentenced to six months in prison on Friday.

The 50 suspects were arrested last week by the state authorities during the visit of the governor, Emmanuel Adil, to the area.

Speaking to The City Review in an interview, Commissioner of Juba County Charles Wani said eight of the nine suspects had been proven guilty. He said the other 42 people were still being investigated.

Their conviction came after a Tuesday attack in Dijeri village, which Mr Wani linked to land grabbing.

He said some armed individuals suspected to be from the Mundari community decided to attack the village after the community refused to demarcate land for them.

“No one should demarcate any land except the state authority; all the land processes will be done through the office of the state government,” the commissioner said.

He called for calm in Dijeri village as the government is investigating the matter in the area.

“Sure, the community in Dijeri village never experiences peace, but we are working hard for the people to have lasting peace in the state, and currently government has established a police post to address the issues,” Wani said.

A resident of Dijeri village, Stella Poni, said, since the country’s independence, there has never been stability in the area.

She called for dialogue between communities to ensure peaceful coexistence between the herders and the host community.

“We are tired of insecurity here. I don’t think we will come back to the village where there is no security and the government is calling us back,” she said.

“We cannot cultivate anymore because of the attacks in the area; the community cannot survive, yet the government is silent about that,” Poni decried.

She appealed to the government and organizations to support the community with food and non-food assistance.