The Director of Education in Yirol East, Lakes State, has alleged that the Yirol West County Commissioner is behind the current land dispute in the area.
Daniel Adongwei Alit told Good News Radio over the phone that Commissioner Makur Kulang Lia recently sent his office manager and some warriors to attack some members of his family over a plot of land.Mr. Adongwei wondered why the commissioner decided to contradict the land authorities in Yirol West, based on a claim that the piece of land in question belongs to the Atuot community.
He added that he paid a total of 920 pounds for the piece of land in Yirol West after the land authorities assured him that it was free for purchase.
Mr. Kulang denied over the phone having any vested interest in the said piece of land.
He said there is an unresolved case of ownership, adding that the county authorities will not issue any title document until the dispute surrounding the original ownership of the land is resolved.
He called for sincerity on land issues especially this time when people are returning to their ancestral places after many years of conflict and war.
Abraham Akuet Kulang, the director for Lands in Yirol West, said Mr. Adongwei bought the plot from Marin Paul Chanyok.
He added that the buyer can only be issued with ownership documents for a different piece of land because he did not buy it from Kon Majur, who is the rightful owner of the land he claims to be his.
In October, the Catholic Bishops from both the Sudan and South Sudan, attending a plenary assembly meeting in Wau, acknowledged the presence of tensions over land and boundaries in many parts of South Sudan.
They called on government, traditional leaders, youth and all stakeholders to recognize the problem and use peaceful and legal means to resolve land disputes.