Yambio County Commissioner Michael Ismail Medi has formed a committee to investigate the town’s main slaughterhouse after a site inspection found “unsafe and unhygienic” conditions and raised security concerns, including alleged criminal activity.
The committee, formed Tuesday, includes officials from the State Ministry of Animal Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Environment Directorate, the Veterinary Department and the police. It is tasked with submitting a report to the County Council of Ministers and security authorities for further action.
“The place is dirty and unsafe for meat processing. If this continues, people could suffer from diseases such as hepatitis or even cancer,” Medi said after visiting the facility in the Baiporu residential area, about two kilometers from Yambio’s main market.
He said the area has become a hideout for criminals and a zone for drug use, and has been linked to alleged rape incidents.
Officials who joined the inspection echoed the commissioner’s concerns about public health.
Simon Zigizoo, the state minister of animal resources, fisheries and tourism, said the conditions pose health risks and called for the slaughterhouse to be relocated.
“The current facility does not meet hygiene standards. Animals are being slaughtered on bare ground, and the environment is unsafe for both people and animals,” Zigizoo said.
Mariano Mangu, director of environment at the Ministry of Agriculture, said the slaughterhouse lacks basic infrastructure, including slabs and drainage systems.
Yambio County Police Inspector Joseph Juma Sasa confirmed the area is a hotspot for drug users and criminal activities and said police would enforce government orders to protect residents.
Community leaders near the facility also reported problems. Jonathan Chocho, headteacher at Young Angels School, said the smell and pollution have affected pupils and nearby residents.
“The stench spreads across the area and makes life unbearable for students and families,” he said.
Joseph Ndani, a representative from the Network for Civil Society Organizations in Western Equatoria, urged authorities to ensure all meat processing areas in Yambio meet proper standards.
Efforts to reach butchers operating at the site for comment were unsuccessful.