Police issues 7 months ultimatum for squatters on land

By Kitab Unango

South Sudan’s national police have given seven- months ultimatum to squatters occupying its land in Gudele One suburb of Juba adjacent to Lou clinic.

Maj. Gen Sadik Ismail Sidigi, the Police Director of Legal Affairs, said on Friday that they will start in January 2024 to evict people from the land, adding that they will no compensate those affected.

 “The police is informing those who built on the land of the police at Gudele One, Lou that the land belongs to police. Anyone who is living in that place should vacate before the dry season because in January 2024 we are going to evict them by force,” he told journalists in Juba.

The Ministry of Land and Physical Infrastructure in early 1970’s allotted the land measuring 230,834 square meters to police.

Ismail said that several attempts to evict illegal settlers were rendered impossible due to years of conflict in the country.

He said the high court in Juba in 2017 ruled in their favor confirming police as the legitimate owner of the land.

 “We first wanted to evict them by force but police is one of the apparatus that keeps law, order and security, we had to resort to the law,” Ismail said.

The Public Prosecution Attorney issued a caveat on the said land as well as warrant of arrest for those who resist eviction.