Citizens of the Pibor Administrative Area held a peaceful demonstration yesterday, protesting against the suspension of construction work of the road linking the area to Central Equatoria State. 

The Council of Ministers reportedly passed a resolution last Friday suspending construction of the Juba-Pibor road, over fears that the construction may have a negative impact on wildlife in the Bandingilo National Park. An official in Pibor told Radio Tamazuj they were not yet official informed of the decision.

Speaking on Radio Miraya, a few Pibor citizens said they wanted to benefit from the road. “This road is the only one we are surviving from. Now Pibor is becoming ok because of this road. For anyone to say I want to close this road, we will not agree on that,” said a citizen.

Another said, “Our road was for what, it’s for our children, for our sick people and this road is for our food. We want to say as women of greater Pibor, we want that desert road to be open from six to six unless its closed because of rain, but if no rain this road should be open.”

“The reason they said because of wildlife or something like that but Juba-Bor road has hunting and so does the Juba-Torit road but nothing happened there. What we want as youth of Pibor administrative area, we want only the development to happen to link the center to the people and the administrative,” another citizen commented.     

File photo: Tiang, Bohor reedbuck and white-eared kob near a road in Jonglei State, 2007 (UNEP) 

Related:

Road construction planned between Central Equatoria and Pibor (11 March)