JUBA – The Lado Payam community in South Sudan’s Central Equatoria State has raised alarm over a surge in land grabbing, violence, and sexual abuse, which they claimed has left at least 10 people dead and displaced families from their homes.
On Monday, Festo Lemi Sominda, a lawmaker representing Juba County, presented a document to the assembly that was signed by three chiefs.
The document accused army officers and certain politicians of engaging in land grabbing in Lado Payam.
The chiefs submitted the document, which outlined the community’s complaints, to the Speaker’s office.
According to Lemi, armed men in uniform and some politicians have allegedly been involved in forcibly taking ancestral land, burning homes, and subjecting women and girls to sexual violence.
“These land grabbers are now burning houses and displacing people,” Lemi told lawmakers during a parliamentary session in Juba on Monday.
“They have so far raped three young girls—one of them raped to death—and continue to rape women. At least 10 people have been killed, including seven men and three women.”
He said the local chiefs are appealing for the government’s urgent intervention to protect residents who now live-in fear.
Dr. Jemma Nunu Kumba, speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, acknowledged having received the document.
Nunu said the assembly has no mandate to resolve criminal matters.
Instead, she emphasized that the responsibility lies with the security sector and other arms of government.
“Our finding is that this issue cannot be addressed by the parliament,” Nunu said.
“There are different levels of government where the issue can be handled, including the security sector, because it involves killings and rape.”
Central Equatoria has been grappling with persistent land grabbing for years, often linked to powerful individuals and officials.
The state government acknowledged the rising cases in August, with Governor Rabbi Emmanuel Mujung proposing a plan to establish courts to deal with land disputes to reduce violence and ensure lawful resolution.
