South Sudan Law Society in collaboration with Civil Society Organizations in Torit trained forty-four stakeholders in Torit through a validation workshop on the draft land policy for the state.
According to Radio Emmanuel, the one-day workshop reviewed and explained the draft land policy to the stakeholders to inform their communities correctly.
National Public Grievances Chamber Chairperson Professor Biong Kuol Deng says the draft land policy will not contradict the 2009 land Act.
‘The Torit state land policy will not necessarily contradict the Land Act of 2009 but hopefully when the National Land Policy is passed, it would necessitate the review and amendment of the 2009 Land Act, and that would also in a way fall within the Land Policy of Torit State. If the Land Policy of Torit State is passed before the National Land Policy, but hopefully the Land Act itself of 2009 will be reviewed and amended’, he elaborates.
The 2009 Land Act was developed to regulate Eastern Equatoria generally, but not Torit State in particular, says the Chairperson.
He adds that the committee for Natural Resources will pass the National Land Policy in a month time.
The land policy is to help reduce conflicts associated to land, Professor Biong notes.
‘Communities are facing serious problems with regards to their land rights and land has been taken without necessarily being consulted and the role of the Land Policy is to address those kinds of conflicts that currently prevail in many areas of the state. And hopefully there will be some kind of conversation, understanding and also development of land policies. We would involve communities as well as government institutions and hopefully we would have a consensus of what state land policy would be’, he explains.
The workshop was organized by the South Sudan Law Society in collaboration with Civil Society Organizations in Torit on Thursday.