{"id":47252,"date":"2023-11-10T15:11:11","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T15:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/torit-land-policy-participants-reject-land-belongs-to-the-people"},"modified":"2023-11-10T15:26:23","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T15:26:23","slug":"torit-land-policy-participants-reject-land-belongs-to-the-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/torit-land-policy-participants-reject-land-belongs-to-the-people","title":{"rendered":"Torit land policy participants reject ‘land belongs to the people’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Sudan. <\/strong><\/span>Participants in a consultative workshop for land administrators in Torit, the capital of South Sudan\u2019s Eastern Equatoria State, have expressed confusion over the statement \u201cland belongs to the people of South Sudan\u201d as outlined in the proposed land policy. They have collectively decided that the phrase should be amended to \u201cland belongs to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

This consensus emerged during a one-day consultation workshop organized by the South Sudan Land Alliance, with the support of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, on Thursday. The primary objective of the workshop was to gather the perspectives of land administrators regarding their roles and responsibilities, which will inform the national land policy.<\/p>\n

With over 30 attendees, including local government officials, lawmakers, civil society groups, and religious leaders, the participants raised concerns that the current wording used by the National Ministry of Land is perplexing. They fear it could potentially serve as a tool for land grabbing in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey recommended a thorough examination of the phrase \u2018land belongs to the people\u2019 in the national land policy document. This particular expression has been a source of contention in discussions across all five states,\u201d explained Wodcan Saviour Lazarous, the Secretary General for South Sudan Land Alliance and the Executive Director for Support Peace Initiative Development Organization (SPIDO).<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are still grappling with the meaning of this phrase. When we refer to \u2018people,\u2019 who exactly are they, and where do they come from? The individuals we have engaged with express the need for clarity and a precise definition. They want a clear understanding of why land belongs to the people rather than the community. It is crucial for this to be explicitly addressed in the national land policy document,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n

He added,\u201cI think what comes in their minds is that they look at it as a political statement whereby some individuals use that phrase when settling in other people\u2019s land by force,\u201d noted Wodcan.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn other words, it is a political statement that can facilitate land grabbing. Eastern Equatoria, recently affected by conflicts between cattle herders and farmers, sees this phrase as reminiscent of those issues. People interpret it as a means of forcing individuals to settle on land, rather than a legitimate way of acquiring it,\u201d Wodcan concluded.<\/p>\n

Several resolutions emerged from the discussion, addressing additional training for land administrators and the establishment of grassroots land committees, including state-level land commissions, to address land issues more effectively.<\/p>\n

Abdallah Hassan Famai, the Director General in the Eastern Equatoria State Ministry of Local Government and Law Enforcement Agencies, expressed concern about the drafting of the land policy in Juba without prior consultations at the grassroots level.<\/p>\n

He believes this approach is unlikely to work for the majority and emphasized the importance of incorporating customary laws into the land policy to prevent future conflicts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have customary laws differing from one community to another, especially on the issue of land. Some communities have landlords, and others don\u2019t have, and those that have landlords have certain rules on how to administer or manage the land, and to others, they consider the land belongs to their community as a whole,\u201d Hassan elaborated.<\/p>\n

Highlighting the need for a comprehensive approach, Hassan emphasized, \u201cWe have to include the views of the people from the grassroots and across different ethnic groups who have different land ownership and management systems. We need to find out how they can respond to the position of the government if that government wants land.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff Ikachilla, a member of the Eastern Equatoria State Legislative Assembly, has voiced support for the ongoing consultations, anticipating that a well-crafted land policy will help resolve widespread land disputes in the region.<\/p>\n

Addressing the issue of cultural laws that inhibit female inheritance of land, Ikachilla emphasized the importance of incorporating changes into the land policy. \u201cI believe we should incorporate into the land policy the right of a female family member to inherit her father\u2019s possessions. Additionally, a female community member should have the right to own land simply by virtue of being a member of the community,\u201d Ikachilla said.<\/p>\n

Elaborating on the rationale behind his stance, the lawmaker highlighted the positive contributions women make to their communities. He argued, \u201cWomen contribute positively to the betterment of their communities; they should have full rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

The National Land Policy, drafted in April, outlines principles for land governance, addresses key challenges, and establishes an institutional framework for responsible land governance. Once adopted, it will form the basis for sector policies to drive economic development.<\/p>\n

South Sudan grapples with challenges in land administration, such as unclear land ownership, weak management, conflict-induced displacement, gender bias, and issues related to agriculture and sustainable resource management. Additional concerns include land use planning, environmental conservation, informal settlements, conflicts between pastoralism and farming, as well as land grabbing, illegal occupations, boundary disputes, and the impacts of climate change and natural disasters.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About South-Sudan<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Participants in a consultative workshop for land administrators in Torit, the capital of South Sudan\u2019s Eastern Equatoria State, have expressed confusion over the statement \u201cland belongs to the people of South Sudan\u201d as outlined in the proposed land policy. They have collectively decided that the phrase should be amended to \u201cland belongs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":47250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[234,265,233],"class_list":["post-47252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-south-sudan","tag-south-sudan"],"yoast_head":"\nTorit land policy participants reject 'land belongs to the people' - South Sudan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Participants in a consultative workshop for land administrators in Torit, the capital of South Sudan\u2019s Eastern Equatoria ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/torit-land-policy-participants-reject-land-belongs-to-the-people\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Torit land policy participants reject 'land belongs to the people'\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Participants in a consultative workshop for land administrators in Torit, the capital of South Sudan\u2019s Eastern Equatoria ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/torit-land-policy-participants-reject-land-belongs-to-the-people\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Sudan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-10T15:11:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-10T15:26:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2023\/11\/sm_1699617242.974905.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/torit-land-policy-participants-reject-land-belongs-to-the-people#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/torit-land-policy-participants-reject-land-belongs-to-the-people\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Torit land policy participants reject ‘land belongs to the people’\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-10T15:11:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-10T15:26:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/torit-land-policy-participants-reject-land-belongs-to-the-people\"},\"wordCount\":838,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/torit-land-policy-participants-reject-land-belongs-to-the-people#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2023\/11\/sm_1699617242.974905.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-South-Sudan\",\"South-Sudan\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/torit-land-policy-participants-reject-land-belongs-to-the-people#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/torit-land-policy-participants-reject-land-belongs-to-the-people\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/torit-land-policy-participants-reject-land-belongs-to-the-people\",\"name\":\"Torit land policy participants reject 'land belongs to the people' - 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