By Alan Clement
The Central Equatoria Ministry of Housing, Lands and Public Utilities has launched road opening and formal land allocation in Yaro residential area of Luri Payam, signaling a structured urban expansion drive to curb land disputes and improve service delivery.
Speaking during the launch, CES Minister of Housing, Land and Public Utilities, David Morbe Aquilino, said the exercise signals the start of coordinated development in Yaro following what he termed due administrative procedures from the community to the state level.
“Today we’ve come to work, beginning by opening roads. After that, we’ll start showing land,” Morbe said noting Yaro started and followed all the procedures beginning from community level to the state level.
He directed that all registered plots be shown to their rightful owners and warned against interference with government activities.
“There were obstacles along the way but let me tell everyone standing in the way of the government that the government will always continue to do its work regardless,” he said.
“You cannot use guns to stop the government from doing its work,” he added
Morbe further revealed that, through a recent ministerial order, all land-related development in the state must be conducted in close coordination with the state government, with the Ministry providing final approval.
The directive comes amid recurring land disputes in parts of Juba County and other areas of Central Equatoria, where overlapping claims, informal sales and boundary disagreements have at times triggered violence.
Under the Yaro plan, land has been earmarked for public infrastructure including markets, schools, health facilities, security installations and local administration offices.
“In this land Yaro has shown, there will be market, schools and even health facilities. I’m sure Yaro will develop and become a big town,” Morbe said, adding that similar exercises would be rolled out in other parts of the state.
He also encouraged investors to “come through the right channel” to support development in the area.
Juba County Commissioner Emmanuel Tete Ezbon commended community leaders in Yaro for allocating land for public use, saying many communities often demand services without setting aside land for facilities.
“People usually tell government we don’t have schools, health facilities, roads but they do not want to show land to the government,” he said urging communities in Juba County to follow Yaro’s example.
The commissioner disclosed that authorities had previously visited Yaro three times due to disputes with neighboring communities, underscoring the sensitivity of land governance in the area.
He urged communities across Central Equatoria to stop fighting over land and resolve complaints through established local authorities.
At the local level, Luri Payam Director Pitia Ezbon described the initiative as a milestone that could transform Yaro into a town if residents maintain unity.
However, he cautioned against illegal land sales and internal disputes.
“Yaro is big if we stay in harmony but if you want to become greedy with land and start selling people’s land, this water will swallow you,” he warned.
Yaro, located on the outskirts of Juba, has seen growing settlement in recent years, reflecting broader urban expansion pressures around the capital.
Authorities saif the formal opening of roads and structured land allocation are intended to prevent unregulated settlements, reduce conflict and align development with state planning frameworks.
The initiative comes as land remains one of the most contentious governance issues in Central Equatoria, with state authorities increasingly asserting regulatory control to standardize allocation processes and strengthen oversight over emerging residential areas.