The community in Magwi County in Eastern Equatoria State has refused to allocate land to pastoralists who were evicted from Uganda.
The herders and their cattle are currently in the Melijo area of Mugali Payam in Magwi County.
According to Magwi authorities, over 5,000 head of cattle belonging to pastoralists from Bor arrived in Melijo after four years in Northern Uganda.
Last week, the Ugandan Government expelled South Sudanese herders and their cattle following the destruction of a sugarcane plantation in Atiak Sub-County in Amuru District in Northern Uganda.
John Anzo, the head chief of Mugali Payam, told Radio Tamazuj that the host community stopped giving land to Dinka cattle herders who are currently grazing livestock in the area.
He said the cattle have created fear and panic among locals who fear their farms and properties will be destroyed.
“There are cattle that were brought from Northern Uganda and are currently in Melijo along the Uganda-South Sudan border. The local community is now living in fear because the cattle are destroying farms in the area. There is a need for government intervention,” he said. “Our government should urgently look into the matter because we do not want cattle here. They should be taken somewhere because these cattle are now entering people’s farms.”
For his part, Benjamin Pole Pole Olum, the commissioner of Magwi County, confirmed that the local community refused to give land to the herders for fear of renewed conflict and destruction of farms.
He said over 5,000 head of cattle belonging to herders from Bor in Jonglei State are currently grazing in Mugali in Magwi County, creating panic and worry.
“The communities have started complaining, and some people are panicking because it might result in violence very soon. Others have reiterated their readiness to stay on the ground without going anywhere because conflicts have been displacing our communities time and again,” he said. “As the government at the county level, we are committed to ensuring that this problem is separated from the host farmers. The herders have about 5,000 head of cattle, and that is huge.”
The commissioner said that during a recent meeting with the herders, following the community’s refusal to allocate them land, the pastoralists insisted on returning to Uganda instead of going to Bor. The herders said they are in communication with their Ugandan friends over grazing points.
“We reminded them about the order and the memorandum of understanding that was signed in Juba by the four states of Eastern Equatoria, Central Equatoria, Jonglei, and Greater Pibor, and our commitment to the implementation of the resolutions to avoid conflict. We told the herders that as the government, we are going to support them with security in case they agree to go to Bor peacefully,” he said. “Yesterday, the representatives of the herders called us and said they are going back to Uganda. They said they have already identified some people and that they are going to have a private understanding.”
Meanwhile, Lazarous Savior, a civil society activist and the executive director of Support Peace Initiative Development Organization (SPIDO), expressed frustration over the continuous influx of cattle in farming communities. He called on the government to ensure the evicted cattle are safely returned to their original place.
“What is happening is serious, and we call it unfortunate. The issue of cattle herders versus farmers is something very serious,” he said. “We advocate for a safe corridor for these cattle herders to go back to their original area because our farmers need to concentrate on farming. I think the Ugandans evicted them to also secure their agricultural sector and to avoid violence or conflict.”
Pastoralists from Bor crossed into Northern Uganda’s Amuru District in 2022 and have been grazing over 10,000 head of cattle there following conflict in South Sudan. Last week, they were expelled by the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) following the destruction of the Atiak Sugar plantation.
Radio Tamazuj could not reach evicted cattle herders for comment