WES Governor’s first visit to LRA torn area, Nabanga – residents ask for development
February 28, 2011 (YAMBIO) – The community of Nabanga payam (district) in Ibba county, Western Equatoria state has hailed a recent visit of the state governor, Bangasi Joseph Bakosoro to the area ravaged by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).
The LRA is a Ugandan rebel group, led by the International Criminal Court indicted Joseph Kony. It has been a destabilising force in the region for more than two decades and continues to attack the citizens of Western Equatoria.
The chief of Nabanga, Zechariah Nzeri described the governor’s visit as a “blessing to the remaining citizens of the payam.”
Nzeri explained that fear of the LRA meant that the people remaining in the payam are there only because of the continued presence of the SPLA forces.
The governor applauded the citizens present “for not evacuating the payam despite the insecurities of the notorious LRA, since 2006.” He explained that “Nabanga was the focal point of the SPLA forces in the 1990s” – during the Second Sudanese Civil War.
He asked the chief of the area to continue encouraging the displaced citizens of the payam to return. The Governor hailed the cooperation between the SPLA forces and the citizens of the payam and promised to complete the construction of a Primary Health Care Unit in the payam, which was incomplete due to instability caused by the LRA.
He also explained that “the feeder road between Ibba and Nabanga will be constructed in the next two months”.
In 2006, the government of Uganda and the LRA held a dialogue in the area, mediated by the vice president of Government of South Sudan (GoSS), Riek Machar Tenj. The talks failed and led to reprisal attacks on the civilians of the Western Equatoria state and elsewhere.
During one of LRA attacks, 36 SPLA soldiers were killed and are now buried in a graveyard in Nabanga.
Andrea Sovura, an elder in the area said “since the signing of the CPA [Comprehensive Peace Agreement] in 2005, no senior government official has prioritised Nabanga, which was the route for the success of the SPLA/ SPLM and more specially the CPA, which just ended with the referendum on self- determination.”
Andrea explained that “the major challenges facing the payam are the lack of access to education, since there is no school in the payam after the downsizing; and the payam only has one bore hole.”
He called upon the state government and GoSS to recall the route of their struggle.
(ST)