Forestry authorities in Abyei are threatening to jail anyone found to have deliberately started a bush fire. Residents say fire is endangering crops and roofing grass which is vital for building homes.

In the latest incident, about 60 fedans of grass and crops were destroyed between Deng Mithiang and Mading Kanissa. No-one was hurt.

Forests provide many building materials in the dry season. 27-year-old Achuai Aguek saw a serious fire start near her house in Nyalchuor, north of Agok. She said she and her neighbors were unable to put it out because it was being fanned by the wind. She said the fence around her farm had burned down, and she had lost a large area of grass. Achuai also said smokers were sometimes to blame, when they failed to put out their cigarettes properly.

When large areas of grass are lost to fire, the price of a bundle in the market rises from as little as 10 ssp to as much as 50 ssp. Pajok Mithiang Amiyok, from Agok B, intends to put a 4x4m thatch on his tukul this year. He said he could afford the 50 or 60 bundles he needed only if the price was 20 ssp. If the cost increased, he would have to delay his plans. He urged people to take more care and prevent fires.

An elder in Mangok Achook, Bulabek Biong Arop, described the forest as a ‘source of life’. He said anyone who set fire to the forest was destroying resources as well as food. He urged the authorities to take tough action against anyone who burned farms or bush.

Chol Arop Chol is the ASAA’s forest inspector in Agok. He said an order had been issued to outlaw random burning of open land. He said anyone found to have done so would be taken to court, where they could be fined 1000 ssp and given up to three months in jail. He also urged villagers to report anyone they saw setting a fire.

Reporting by Abyei Today