The residents of Kajo Keji County have expressed worries over the illegal logging in the area, saying the destruction of forests for lucrative business is endangering the ecosystem. 

Charity (not her real name), one of the farmers in Kajo Keji said the previous order issued by the state government banning the felling of trees was not being implemented as there are logging activities still going on in Kajo Keji.

He said trees like teak were not easy to preserve and that the grown ones should not be destroyed like that.

 “I feel bad because these people are coming illegally to destroy our land. They are cutting down some trees and right now there is no rainfall. Our big trees which bring rainfall for us have been cut down. I want the government to stop these people from cutting down the trees,” she lamented. 

Several youths in Nyepo Payam have also expressed concern over the gross destruction of forests in the county. They called on the state government to protect natural resources from illicit businesses.

According to Nelson (not his real name), from Genderu Boma, Nyepo Payam, the unlawful logging of teak trees without informing the locals was like robbing the village of its economic progress.

“We have realized that there is no economic development coming in yet people are taking out the trees. So, where do you expect the development to happen?’’ he posed. 

“For example, we have a lack of hospitals, so what are we going to use to renovate the hospitals and the schools. The community is not benefitting,” 

In a phone interview with The City Review, Emmanuel (not his real name), reiterated that the community was not benefiting from the logging activities taking place in Kajo Keji County.

“This is an individual benefitting. They sit as their resources are being looted and robbed from them because they are no longer talking about it. Anything that is for the community must be shared with the community but none of the community is benefiting,” Emmanuel said. 

Order issued

Two months ago, the Central Equatoria State Minister of Environment issued a ministerial order banning illegal logging. 

As for Lily Kafuki Jurkin, the government is above all and no one can break the rule of law especially in Central Equatoria State. Jurkin claimed that most of the loggers “are coming from our neighboring states’’.

“We as Central Equatoria State, we respect our nature and we will not condone such acts. So, if you are operating in Central Equatoria State illegally, please go back to your state.”Jurkin 

However, according to recent reports, loggers have been seen removing logs from Kajo Keji County with trailers currently being spotted in the Moyo area.

The spokesperson for the Central Equatoria State government David Derek said efforts were underway to end the illegal logging completely in the state.

 “The leadership held a meeting with the county commissioner Eresto Kenyi and after the meeting with the commissioner, the governor also had a meeting with the community organization called the Kajo Keji Community Organization under the leadership of the former presidential advisor where they extensively discussed the issue of logging in Kajo Keji, and they were given the direction that all logging has to come to an end,’’ he assured. 

“Whatever happened it should end there and nothing should proceed be it collecting the logs which are already down,” he added. 

Over the last decade, the forests of Central Equatorial State and Kajo Keji have been steadily depleted of teak wood and other slow-growth tropical hardwood species.

Loggers—taking advantage of the lack of regulation in parts of the country and the porous border between South Sudan and Uganda—sell to middlemen who then export the wood through Uganda.

Nevertheless, authorities in Central Equatoria State have vowed to tighten its grip on forest resources.