The Eastern Equatoria State government has revealed that it is still waiting for the leadership of Hiyala to come out with the criminals who were ordered to surrender themselves within seven days.

Last week, the Minister for National Security, Gen. Obuto Mamur Mete, gave Hiyala Payam administrators seven days to surrender criminals or face repercussions for their refusal to comply.

Mamur threatened to return to the villages to trace criminals himself should they fail to heed the directive.

In a phone interview with The City Review yesterday, Press Secretary in the Governor’s Office, Alidru Lotok, said the orders issued by the National Security boss were very strong, and that the leadership of Hiyala Payam was going to abide by them. He said they believed they were now working to ensure that the criminals were identified.

He said the officials from the state government are waiting for the leaders to come out with criminals, or else the government, through national security, will go and get them out.

“We have not received any report concerning the surrender of the criminals,” he said, adding that ”the state government officials are waiting for the leaders of Hiyala Payam to find out where the criminals are hiding, including in their houses where they sleep.”

 “If they don’t handle these criminals, the government will now go after them, but what I know is that the Chiefs and Commissioners are now working hard because Obuto Mamur himself will go there,” he added.

Embrace peace                        

According to Mamur, the youth known as Monyomiji should embrace peace instead of perpetrating violence in the communities. He ordered the youth of Haforiere, Tirangore, Mura-Hatiha, Hiyala Loguruny, Iloli, Ilieu, and Chalamini to shun violence.

The Eastern Equatoria State government under the leadership of Louis Lobong Lojore said that there had been retaliatory killings in the villages of Hiyala Payam as well as robberies. The latest incident was the killing of a traveller at a place called Idolu.

In November 2021, Governor Louis Lobong Lojore showed his commitment to working with all the stakeholders to maintain security in the state. He called for a joint effort to build a stable, prosperous Eastern Equatoria State.

 He said he strives to work with all the stakeholders to strengthen local government, which is the custodian of law and order in the state so that there is stability.

In June 2020, six people were killed, and their bodies burned to ashes when armed men ambushed a commercial vehicle along the Ngauro-Kapoeta road.

Two months later, unknown assailants murdered five local gold miners in Kapoeta South County in Nakwasigirya, which is located about 30 kilometres south of Kapoeta town.

The Toposa community has accused a neighbouring community of carrying out the attack, allegedly in retaliation for a previous attack, an allegation the said community denied.