Kei Emmanuel Duku
Eastern Equatoria State government has accused residents of Hatire Payam, Ikwotos County, of colluding with foreign nationals to destroy the state’s natural resources through illegal logging.
Last month, South Sudanese authorities apprehended five Ugandan nationals and one South Sudanese for engaging in illegal logging activities.
The group had already constructed roads to facilitate the transportation of timber to neighboring Uganda.
Elia John Ahaji, the State Minister of Information, revealed that a preliminary investigation implicated residents in the illegal operation.
“The Ugandan Nationals are innocent but the problem is with our citizens who bring these companies like the case in Ikwotos, the community contracted the company to come and open for them a road and later they could pay them to intern with the tress,” he said.
“However yesterday the community who contracted the company, came and discussed with the State Authorities and apologized for not following the right procedures to bring foreign nationals and conduct such an illegal act,” he stated.
The state government plans to release the suspects under strict conditions, including adherence to legal procedures.
Minister Ahaji expressed concern over the increasing border encroachments between South Sudan and Uganda, which have exacerbated the depletion of natural resources in both countries.
He called for intervention from the national governments to address the issue.
“The issue of the border is actually beyond the mandate of the local government but it is the role of our national government to engage their counterparts and also the Citizens from the two countries should respect international boundaries to avoid conflict,” he said.