The Commissioner of Maridi County in Western Equatoria State says that some cattle keepers from neighboring states have started leaving the county but others at two camps in the county have not yet left in spite of a deadline given since last month.
Western Equatoria gave a deadline of 9 February for cattle keepers from Jonglei, Central Equatoria and other areas to leave the state following a three-day conference held in Mundri West between cattle keepers and farmers.
According to Maridi County Commissioner Wilson Thomas Yanga, the cattle keepers with their cattle have started going back to their places but two camps are still present at Meke Boma and Ngamunde Payam.
Thomas stressed the deadline for them to leave is over and no more days are going to be given to the cattle keepers to stay in the county. He urged citizens to leave way for the cattle owners to move with their cattle back home.
Meanwhile, the organization Malteser International has started distributing food and non-food items to displaced people in the three payams of Mambe, Landili and Maridi Central. The food items are maize grain, beans, salt and cooking oil while non-food items are blankets, sauce pans, nylon sacks and washing soap.
Some of the displaced fled conflict elsewhere in the country while others were displaced in December 2014 in Mudubai Boma as a result of tensions with herders. This is now the second time Malteser international is supplying IDPs in Maridi with food and non-food items.