Yei power station shuts over insecurity

The Yei Power operating company has ceased its operations over what it described as continuous insecurity compounded by unsustainable high operating expenses.

The Yei Power operating company has ceased its operations over what it described as continuous insecurity compounded by unsustainable high operating expenses.

The management Yei electricity operating company (YECO) says the presence of security forces closed to the power supply plant, has forced technicians to abandon their jobs, over fear of being attacked and killed.

The facility is located about two miles away from the main town along the Yei-Lasu road faces danger of heavy gun bullets falling on its generators which is dangerous to the lifes of the citizens in the town in Lutaya area considered as “NO GO AREA” since both sides the (SPLA and SPLA-IO) forces exchanges frequent fighting along the side.

In August, heavy fighting erupted at the site when an SPLA-IO soldier led by Rasta Joga-Diga was shot dead near the site, prompting deployment of more Government forces. A local resident in Yei town who preferred anonymity told Radio tamazuj that the power plant has shut down operations in the town for the last one month.

“As I speak to you now, we have no power in Yei. We are in darkness again”

The president of YECO Taban Kilombe also confirmed the shutdown. He says they are unable to pay huge amount of money to its fuel suppliers because most of the power clients have either fled to the villages or refugee camps over the same insecurity in the Yei area.
Kilombe calls on the warring parties to open up dialogue because war retards development.

“We have people selling in their shops closing down so early because there is light in the town. We also have lot debts that have not been paid and our suppliers want us to pay them but we don’t have that money. To our Government lets dialogue for peace if we don’t want issue of conflict to arise. I was born in the war, grow in the war and also getting old in the air and it’s high time for us to see peace. The peace should be action peace with justice so as to bring the suffering of the people to an end”