By Bida Elly David
The Commissioner of Yei River County said the security situation along Juba-Yei and Yei-Kaya Highway has finally improved after continuous attacks of civilians and business people over the past weeks by unknown crooks.
Few weeks ago commissioner revealed that South Sudan People’s Defence Forces gunned down three crooks who were reportedly accused of brutal killing of two drivers along Yei-Kaya road resulting to civil fear of accessing the roads anymore.
Speaking to No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper recently, Aggrey Cyrus Kanyikwa the commissioner of Yei River County said, the road annexing Juba-Yei and Yei-Kaya has finally improved after being crippled by series of attacks leading to murder of many civilians, traders and government soldiers.
“Over the past weeks, Juba Yei road was crippled by number of attacks and robbery against traders, civilians and government officials making it impassable. Over the past one month now, the road has recuperated from the attacks since no cases have been registered’’ he said.
The Commissioner further, reiterated that his office has invested efforts towards expanding the highways annexing Yei-Kaya and Yei-Juba roads to empower peaceful movement of goods from Uganda to Yei and finally to the Capital Juba.
He added that there was need for the national government to activate their participation of enhancing the County authority toward the infrastructure project
“The national government in conjunction with the State should capitalise much efforts to guarantee that Yei Kaya road is revamped to ease imports and export of goods’’ he said.
However, Cyrus added that locals in Yei have produced variety of commodities for both commercial and subsistence use but due to fear, they were unable to export them to Juba.
“Due to the former alarming security situations that had caused panic and fear to farmers, most produces were affected but despite these constrains, farmers formerly never hesitated to practice cultivation. Yei has enough produce being sent by people from the villages for both commercial and subsistent consumption’’ Cyrus said.
The Commissioner urged Yei citizens living in Juba to come and participate in farming activities in order to boost the economy to a higher level.
“Those who left Yei for Juba due to other factors should know that Yei is now calm, many have started returning back from the camps for settlement. Those in Juba should come back home and develop the County instead of others doing it’’ he said.
However, the Commissioner called on the citizens in Yei and the entire Country to unite towards bringing everlasting peace to the country and urged those still in camps to return back home.
“I need my people in Yei and Juba as well as the entire Country to join hands with the Government to bring total peace so that the Country moves ahead and those who carry arms against the government should take dialogue as a way to claim their rights instead of losing lives of many civilians to claim their rights’’ Cyrus added.