Authorities in the Yei Town Council have issued directives urging local residents to clean up their residential areas to boost public confidence, after thousands of people fled the town leaving some areas unkempt.

A huge population in Yei town have fled the town to their ancestral villages or to the neighbouring countries over what they described as targeted killings and economic hardship.

Local authorities at the town council have says they have dispatched a team of sanitation officers to move from one area to another inspecting the general outlook of the town ahead of the Christmas season.

Town Clerk Azariah Khamis Noah says the move is aimed at regaining the beauty of Yei town and building confidence among both national and international people that the government of Yei is working in spite of the insecurity.

He says those found violating the directive will be fined 1000 South Sudanese pounds.

“For us as people of Yei, we need to start cleanness every Saturday. We have started with the streets from the Office of the Governor, the hospital, another the town at large. This is to beautify the town. Without this exercise people coming from outside will think that the Government in Yei is not working and we don’t want this to happen.”

Azariah continued, “We must make sure that we live in a conducive and clean place. We are going to start supervision around the town and if we get that your home is dirty we shall charge you a fee of 1000 SSP for failing to clear the surrounding.”

Meanwhile, Esther Gaba, a resident of Lomuku area has criticized the council’s decisions to charge them money for failing to clear plots.

“We know our routine environmental management. I think this local government is playing with people’s minds. Instead of ensuring stability and security, they are running to charge money for not cleaning our sites.”

She added, “This is nonsense; they should not begin to look for money as the Christmas season is approaching. We are very poor struggling to get the little money for our food and medication but not to be wasted on paying wasteful government taxes. We need peace now, not taxing poor people.”