The Yangwara Pojulu Tijor Community has accused authorities and individuals in Juba County of continuing to demarcate and allocate land in Nyamini despite a gubernatorial order suspending land activities in the disputed area.
The community made the allegations during a press conference in Juba, saying Nyamini is ancestral land belonging to the Yangwara people and has been the subject of a land dispute since 2013.
Yapete Mogga Abdallah, Secretary-General of the Yangwara Pojulu Tijor Community, said plots were still being shown, tokens issued and land demarcated despite Central Equatoria Governor Emmanuel Adil Anthony’s Order No. 19 of March 2, 2026.
The order, according to the community, cancelled land documents relating to Nyamini and halted further land activities in the area.
“But as we speak now, demarcation and showing is still going on,” Mogga said, accusing those involved of defying the governor’s directive.
The community also alleged that some local authorities and armed personnel were supporting or facilitating the disputed land activities. The claims have not been independently verified.
The dispute involves competing claims over Nyamini, with the Yangwara Pojulu Tijor Community maintaining that the area forms part of the traditional territory of the Yangwara people.
Mogga said the community’s position is supported by historical, customary and government records, including the 1999 Warrant of Establishment of Dolo Local Council and recommendations issued by the Juba County Peace and Reconciliation Committee in 2013.
According to the community, the 2013 committee recognised the disputed area as traditionally and historically owned by the Yangwara people and recommended that unilateral demarcation and investment activities be suspended until the dispute was resolved.
The community said subsequent government interventions also halted land activities in Nyamini, but alleged that demarcation resumed in 2025.
The dispute was later brought before the state authorities, with the community saying it petitioned government officials and that the matter reached the State Council of Ministers.
The Yangwara Pojulu Tijor Community said it submitted historical and administrative documents to support its claim, but rejected what it described as attempts to resolve the dispute through political consensus without first determining ownership.
“Peace cannot rest on ambiguity and unity cannot be built on the denial of the rightful ownership,” Mogga said.
The community also referred to a court case filed in March 2026 by chiefs and headmen from Ladu Payam and members of Kota Lodimi against two traditional leaders over the Nyamini dispute.
The Yangwara Pojulu Tijor leadership called for the case to be withdrawn, saying traditional leaders should promote peace and justice rather than contribute to disputes over land.
It also warned citizens, companies and investors against purchasing or investing in land in Nyamini until the ownership dispute is resolved.
The community urged the Central Equatoria State government to enforce the gubernatorial order, stop further demarcation and establish the lawful ownership of the disputed area.
It further called on Juba County authorities to remain impartial and urged armed personnel to stay out of what it described as illegal land activities.
The Yangwara Pojulu Tijor Community said it remains committed to resolving the dispute peacefully but would continue to defend what it considers its ancestral land through lawful means.
For his part, Youth Representative Joseph Modi Justin said the community’s youth remain committed to resolving the Nyamini dispute peacefully and urged neighbouring communities, including those in Ilikare Boma and Ladu Payam, to present any evidence supporting their claims.
He said the youths do not want confrontation with their “brothers” from neighboring communities but want the government of Central Equatoria State to intervene and resolve the dispute.
Modi added that the community would continue pursuing the matter through government institutions and lawful channels rather than through force.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Moses Lee, a community elder, described the Nyamini dispute as politically motivated, alleging that attempts to demarcate land in the area were redirected after residents challenged the exercise. He questioned why officials from neighbouring areas were involved in the demarcation of Nyamini, which he said lies outside their jurisdiction.
Lee also said he had personally spoken with elders from the other side who acknowledged that Nyamini belongs to the Yangwara Community. He called for the dispute to be resolved through the courts and said he was prepared to testify if the matter proceeds legally.
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