By James Innocent
The governor of Central Equatoria State, Emmanuel Adil Anthony has ordered for the removal of the internal roadblock along Lutaya road in Yei River County.
Governor Adil made his administrative declaration to scrap off the roadblock along Lutaya road on Saturday during the ordination ceremony of Deacon Justin Salah Juma as the parish priest in the catholic dioceses of Yei at St. Joseph the Worker Parish-Lutaya.
The occasion which was attended by the state governor also featured both national and state ministers, Yei River county commissioner Aggrey Cyrus Kanyikwa, chiefs, religious leaders and faithful who converged at St. Joseph the Worker Parish-Lutaya to witness the ordination of the new parish priest.
New parish priest, Salah Juma studied in Italy as he was send by the catholic diocese of Yei.
While addressing the congregants, Governor Adil Anthony promised the people of Yei River County and catholic faithful that he wants the roadblock in Lutaya Road before reaching to the Catholic Church removed as its creating fear to the citizens to live and move across Lutaya residential area freely.
“I have been talking to the security personals of Yei River County one day earlier that the roadblock of Lutaya should be relocated away from that place because currently we have peace and no need to keep the roadblock next to town and I believe that there is going to be peace which needs support from us as government because the church helps allot in the community by providing allot of social services” he said
Adil commended the catholic bishop of Yei Alex Lodiong Sakor for paying peace visits to the South Sudanese citizens in the neighboring countries and some of parts of Central Equatoria state, adding that’s a sign of peace building in the community despite other challenges people face.
The governor also stressed his call for the cattle keepers to move out of Yei River County and some parts of Central Equatoria state. Saying failure to comply with the directives he will order the security personals to move them (herders) by any means out of the community.
He hinted that the local communities are really suffering in the hands of the cattle herders who are roaming around people’s gardens displacing people.
“I told the cattle herder to move back to their place of origin to avoid conflict but they are still moving across Central Equatoria state” Adil echoed. Adding “the government security forces I will order them to force them (herders) to leave the areas so that our people live in peace and if they refused they will face the law where we can imprison their chiefs” the governor sounded alarm.
He however urged the citizens of Central Equatoria state specially in Yei river, Lainya, Kajo-Keji and some parts of the state to leave the cattle keepers move untouched as they return to their places of origin saying “we don’t want conflict”.