The speaker of the Northern Bahr el-Ghazal state legislative assembly has formed a fact-finding committee to investigate a land dispute between state citizens and a former governor advisor on agriculture, who they claim perpetrated an illegal ‘land grab’.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday by phone from Aweil town, the head of the newly formed committee, Bul Bul Dor, said the the committee was established after citizens, a large number of them female, protested an allegedly illegal claim of their land by a former official.
“The work the committee shall go and find out what made the women stage demonstrations,” said Bul.
Dor, who is also the head of the specialized security committee in the state parliament disclosed that the committee, which was formed last Wednesday, shall investigate and establish facts which prompted protests within two weeks and submit their findings and recommendations to the parliament on Monday.
Last week, citizens of Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal demonstrated, accusing the former advisor to the state’s governor on agriculture, Jail Dhieu, of attempting to steal their land which they had been about to claim legally after receiving plot card numbers from the government.
“They (Dhieu and partner) retracted from us (plot) numbers because they were with someone possessing a map yesterday. So we have lamented because an architect is a government (employee) and cannot walk with a thief, so that is the reason our hearts are lamenting now and that is why we are here so that if this is known to government to take our numbers then we want to hear,” exclaimed one angry protestor.
The Speaker of the state legislative assembly Monica Achol William promised the protestors last week that the assembly will look into their matter.
Radio Tamazuj could not reach Jiel Dhieu former governor advisor on agriculture for comment on the matter.