Local authorities of Mongalla metropolitan, Central Equatoria are urging the state government to demarcate areas and make it attractive for investors.
Official says there are national and international traders ready to set up business in the Mangalla but they fear the area is not demarcated.
The Executive Director of Mangalla Payam, Hilary Lokudu Muhamad says demarcation is the first thing that paves away for development.
He says demarcation will boast economic activities and community own land legally registered by the government
“I want demarcation to take place so that when I have a plot of my own, I can now think of developing it, but if Mangalla remains in this situation even if I have resources to do something I will still fear because maybe I will build on the road or in somebody’s plot which will bring problem tomorrow.
So, my priority, I want the survey of Mangalla to take place so that Mangalla will look like a town.”
The Executive Director says the government of South Sudan should consider Mangalla as one of the towns which is a mother of the Country.
“I’m asking our government of South Sudan since they all know Mangalla is the mother of the civilization of South Sudan, they should not forget the Grande mother’s home. So, we need Mongalla to be one of the towns that when people come from outside, they come to Mongalla and see that yes acutely the civilisation started here and its move to the other parts of South Sudan,” he said.
Lokudu adds that the authorities of Mangalla have begun the process of demarcating the land.
“Mongalla will be better than Juba because thousands of people have submitted their applications to my office for lands in Mongalla waiting for demarcation to take place”, Lokudu explained.
Mongalla is a Payam in Juba County, Central Equatoria State in South Sudan on the east side of the Bahr al Jebel or White Nile River. It lies about 75 km by road northeast of Juba. The towns of Terekeka and Bor lie downstream, north of Mongalla.
During the colonial era, Mongalla was the capital of Mongolia Province, which reached south of Uganda and east towards Ethiopia.
On 7 December 1917, the last of the northern Sudanese troops were withdrawn from Mongalla, replaced by Southerners.
These southern and at least nominally Christian troops remained the only permanent garrison of the town and province until their mutiny in August 1955.
Mongalla and the surrounding province were then absorbed into Equatoria Province in 1956. The town was taken and retaken more than once during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983–2005).
The Payam administrator says the area is host to almost 64 tribes of South Sudan, some are internally displaced persons from Jonglei and Unity states, and others are traders
On Saturday, Catholic Radio Network’s team visited the area for media outreach to collect views from the local populations.