Eastern Equatoria State Governor Louis Lobong Lojore has denied that the Government of South Sudan has agreed to the construction of the Nadapal-Nakodok Road by the Government of Kenya.
He clarified that respective ministers from the two countries are yet to reach an agreement on the project that connects the highway from Kenya through the border town of Nadapal to the village of Nakodok in Kapoeta South County in South Sudan.
Governor Lobong urged the Toposa community to remain calm and assured them that President Salva Kiir would not cede or sell any inch of South Sudanese territory to any country.
Last Wednesday, President Kiir met Kenyan President Willian Ruto in Juba and through a joint communique announced the resumption of the construction of the 10-kilometer road between Nadapal and Nakodok, an area between Narus and Kapoeta towns.
In a swift response, the Toposa Community of Kapoeta rejected the resumption of the road works, terming it a ploy to annex South Sudan land to Kenya.
Governor Lobong said that the bilateral talks between the two presidents on 6 November in Juba included among other things the construction of the road from Nadapal to Nakodok which people took out of context.
“I would like to call upon the people of Eastern Equatoria, and particularly the Toposa Community who are residents of that particular area that more than three times, President Salva Kiir has pronounced and promised the people of South Sudan, and particularly the people of Eastern Equatoria, that he will not allow an inch of any territory of South Sudan to go to any country,” he said. “He [president] has said this several times and I believe he will never allow it to happen. The president is in charge of all the territories of the Republic of South Sudan, including where we are. According to the media, and what we heard, the two principles referred the issue to the two ministers of roads of the two countries to discuss the matter.”
“Governor Lobong added: “They have not said that they have agreed, they said they have to go and discuss the matter and see how the issue can be handled and I believe they are going to meet. They have not told us the outcome, so, why should we start making noise and fighting before any outcome?”
He appealed to the people to remain calm and trust the government and President Kiir who he stressed that would not sell the people or land of South Sudan.
“I believe he (Kiir) will never do that because he has been struggling for this country all his life since his youth up to now,” Lobong concluded.