Members of the Madi community in Pageri County of Torit State are demanding that internally displaced persons (IDPs) vacate their houses, saying many houses are occupied in Nimule town.

The call came during a dialogue held on Tuesday in the border town of Nimule between the host community and the internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Peace Link Foundation, a community-based organization, facilitated the event aimed at resolving land disputes in the county.

During the dialogue, the members of the Madi community said their houses were occupied by other communities when they sought refuge in camps during the country’s civil war.

Margret Oliver, the chief of Moli Tokuro, told Radio Tamazuj that her community found their houses occupied after returning from refugee camps. She said stereotypes among communities affected their peaceful stay.

“Our problem is after this war, we came back from Uganda and found some people living in our houses and have refused to go away. Even our children cannot touch mangoes they planted and some places were not peacefully taken, but by force,” Oliver said.

She added, “They don’t even respect us, they brought their cows to our places. If you want to move through, you are beaten.”

Bol Kuir Aguer, the chief of the Dinka ethnic group in Nimule, dismissed claims that his people have occupied houses of the host community.

He said his people and the host community are living in harmony.

“Here in Nimule, when someone comes from far places just like us the Dinka, the host community will say this was their place. We will share equally, but not grabbing by force. We will share equally with that person and there is no one who can grab someone’s property. We are staying well and this issue of land grabbing does not exist,” Aguer said.

For his part, the Pageri county commissioner, Emilio Igga admitted that land disputes exist between the host community and the IDPs from Greater Bahr el Ghazal and Upper Nile regions.

He appealed to the national government to allow the internally displaced persons to return home. “This is the responsibility of the national government to ensure there is peace so that people return to their areas,” he said.

Charles Okullo, the Executive Director for Peace Link Foundation, said the land question came up when they were disseminating the revitalized peace deal in the county.

“So there are issues they are trying to discuss like land, intensive logging and cattle grazing on their farmlands. Those are issues that are very contentious and affect peaceful coexistence,” Okullo said.