Elephants Kill Three Villagers, Destroy Crops in Nimule

JUBA – Elephants from Nimule National park recently killed three people who included a pregnant woman, a lad and a breastfeeding mother near their homes. This was revealed to The Citizen by Aventore Kenyi Bilal who is Eastern equatorial State member of parliament in Torit representing Nimule constituency and a chairperson of Specialized Committee for Physical Infrastructure, Land, Roads and Transport. He said the chief and elders in the area had raised their complaints to the Wildlife Conservation Authorities not only on the deaths of citizens but that the elephants have invaded the area, destroyed their sorghum, off rooted cassava and potatoes and consumed even fruit trees. The complaints have also been presented to the police but so far action has not been taken till this day and the people live in great free because the elephants are roaming in the nearby park. The areas of Nimule invaded by the elephants are Abila and Olikwi villages in Nimule payam of Magwi County and since the destruction of their food crops they remain exposed to hunger because no relief supplies have been sent to them by any NGO or government.

“Residents earn their daily bread through cutting grass and burning charcoal yet forestry reserve authorities forbid cutting down of trees and this has made life very difficult for the helpless residents of Nimule,” said Bilal.

He said when he met with the Director of Wildlife in the Ministry of Tourism in Juba he was told that the affected area is a gazetted area and that it is also a buffer zone for the national park and the other side falls on Uganda border side.

Bilal said the government proposed to make electrified fence and deploy additional wildlife officers to arrest the situation, but the affected community objected the proposal to have electrified fence which may harm people as rural people they will not be able to cope living near it while at the same time some people say this is a long term plan which may materialize when there is full time electricity supply for the area.

The MP stated that effort by the State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to lobby for humanitarian aid for the affected areas have been made but the relief has not yet reached the affected population.

He called on the Government especially the directorate of custom to provide employment opportunities to the citizens in the area in the post of cleaners, office messengers and cooks instead of giving them out to foreigners, so that they can feed their families.

In related development, the state Government has proposed to survey and demarcate Nimule town with the aim of developing it into a modern town to reduce problem of people who settled in national park gazetted land.

Bilal said during a meeting of the Minister of Interior, General Salva Matok Gengdit with the citizens in Nimule he told them that “Nimule is a gateway for South Sudan, we need to reorganize, demarcate and build it into a modern town so as to benefit the local population.” During the meeting, the citizens in Nimule appreciated the proposal presented by the minister and readily offered a large area bordering the Nile to be developed as parking and clearance areas for the customs department. The area will also serve as port of call to steamers and ships that will in future sail from Uganda through Lakes Albert and Edward to South Sudan. Previously there was a port in Nimule where steamers and cargo ships from Uganda called but this was closed down in early 1960s during the first civil war. Bilal expressed appreciation to the citizens in the area for readily giving the piece of land to the government to develop it for use of the entire people of South Sudan. He said survey would be carried out in other parts of Nimule which is expected to expand North-eastward towards Jeleyi, Moi-uji hill where the old road used during the colonial time passed. He said there would be space for everybody in Nimule and that there will be surveying, reorganization, demarcation and systematic allotment to the present residents. He said the government of Eastern Equatoria and the National Government in Juba will all put inputs to make reorganizing of Nimule as a modern gateway to South Sudan and said it will not be long before this action is taken. He expressed appreciation to the understanding and readiness of the chiefs, elders, women and youth leaders to welcoming the proposals for modernization of Nimule which should after the steps taken to project true image of reorganization and modernization envisaged by a free South Sudan.