http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ID/5709/Default.aspx
Peter Lokale Nakimangole
TORIT 13th September 2011 [Gurtong] – A reconciliation conference in Eastern Equatoria State (EES) for resolving wrangles in identifying and establishing a sub-County Headquarters for Payams in Bur, that had been deferred severally has now been rescheduled to take place this coming Saturday at CDOT hall in Torit County.
For nearly a month now, community members here have been in a dispute over a central venue which could bring together the competing villages for a common understanding on identifying and allocating their sub County Headquarters.
Some members chose Torit while the rest preferred the affected villages to choose their venue for holding the reconciliation meeting. Initially, two-thirds of the population preferred the meeting to take place at Horo, a meeting place located between Loronyo and Loudo villages.
The conference had been deferred leading to several delays due to disagreements over a venue by the concerned community intellectuals. Gurtong media correspondent attended a preparation meeting presided over by the State Governor Hon. Louis Lobong Lojore at his office in Torit last Saturday 10th September 2011, where the matter was resolved.
Governor Lobong assured the community that his administration will cover all meals expenses during the Otuho’s intellectuals meeting from the 6 villages.
Lobong encouraged the community members to take lead in the peace process as opposed to his domination in the matter. He challenged them to have genuine reconciliation efforts. “You are there to see fruitful end results,” he asserted.
The conference’s aim is to prepare and bring together community intellectuals from the six villages of Bur Payam. This is to make them agreed by consensus and to reconcile over identification and allocation of the new headquarters.
According to the Commissioner of Torit County, Mr. Felix Otuduha Siro, the six villages wrangling over identification and relocation of Bur sub – County Headquarters include Loudo, Loronyo, Lohiri, Lohila, Longelet and Loiaju. He said Loronyo village was allegedly accused of plotting to relocate the Payam headquarters into its territory, prompting other five villages’ disapproval.
The upcoming Otuho intellectuals’ reconciliation conference which precedes the locals meeting is paramount since it will open a door for reconciliation and identify through mutual agreement; on a venue for another meeting involving all the 6 villages to reconcile among each other, the authorities confirmed.
A community member from one of the villages stated in the meeting that Otuho community has an internal problem, while Hon. Ofis Asada of EES Legislative Assembly whose constituency is part of the contesting villages, blamed the organizers for plotting secretly and had parallel programs as far as the meeting date fixation and venue allocation are concerned.
Hon. Asada briefed the community members that meetings scheduled to take place in Torit had been postponed for the last three Saturdays but welcomed the new collective initiative; he said that the participants will now air out their opinions and views on how to handle the matter.
The latest resolution to let the meeting take place at DOT’s hall in Torit favours all the mentioned village’ representatives while awaiting another meeting to take place at grassroots levels.
Commissioner Otuduha said there are four Payams in Eastern Equatoria State which have not been granted a warrant of establishment, among them is Bur.
He said if all the 4 Payams fail to identify and allocate their Headquarters; they will not only continue to be denied a warrant of establishment but also developing and constructing their respective Payams’ headquarters.
“This is very serious and has implications on the citizens who live here. For these areas to be developed; there is need to construct institutions for service delivery closer to the people in villages or rural communities,” Otuduha clarified.
Commissioner Otuduha confirmed to Gurtong that a representative from the Local Government will facilitate the upcoming intellectuals meetings.
The members also agreed that the number of participants expected for the upcoming intellectuals meeting will be close to 40 members.
