Returnees living at the three-year old transit site at Maduany payam were issued new residential plots in Romtiet payam within Aweil West by county authorities on Monday.
Aweil West Commissioner Garang Kuac Ariath said in an interview that the new location is five kilometres from Aweil town. “We have surveyed 1500 plots to accommodate 500 households whom we are responsible for,” he explained.
Maduany area was accommodating many people especially returnees and flood victims from different parts of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state. But the commissioner did not mention where the remaining displaced persons within the camp will be relocated.
Garang explained that they have asked the state ministry of interior to deploy police and also the ministry of health to construct a health care center within the new area.
According to the Aweil West county commissioner, the relocation of the returnees started on 10 December, but he did not mention when the transportation will end.
Many returnees expressed their great happiness, giving thanks to the state authorities while denying rumours that they were each asked to pay 35 South Sudanese pounds before owning a plot.
Aman Garang, a returnee woman, told Radio Tamazuj that “We were promised by the state government to transport us to our new area known as Romtiet but that did not happen.” She asked UN agencies to help with transportation.
Meanwhile, the state director of relief rehabilitation commission, Deng Kuel said “We held a meeting with non-governmental organizations in the area and we agreed to provide them with water, food, health services depending on the NGO missions in order to resettle them.”
Photo by Radio Tamazuj: Returnees at Maduany who will transfer to Romtiet in Aweil West County, 10 December 2012.