Lobonok Community Seeks County Status in Meeting With CES Governor

(JUBA) – Governor of Central Equatoria State, Lt. Gen. Rabi Mujung Emmanuel, has restated his commitment to building peace and unity across the State during a meeting with leaders and representatives of the Lobonok Payam community in Juba on Sunday. The delegation, which came to extend congratulations to the Governor following his recent appointment, included prominent figures such as former Vice President Prof. Dr. James Wani Igga, a native of Lobonok. During the meeting, the Lobonok delegation expressed full support for the State Government and raised several issues affecting their community. Among the major concerns were insecurity, food shortages, a shortage of medical personnel, and poor governance infrastructure. They urged the Governor to prioritise the completion of the Payam office building and to take practical steps to improve basic service delivery. In his address, Governor Mujung welcomed the delegation and assured them that their concerns would be addressed. He called for close cooperation between the State Government and local communities to ensure lasting peace and development. “The President directed me to unite the people of the State,” Mujung said. “I want to begin by engaging all leaders regardless of their political affiliations. When leaders are united, the people will also be united.” He stressed that his leadership would focus on improving infrastructure, promoting security, and ensuring inclusive governance. Hon. Cirisio Zacharia Lado, Chairperson of the Lobonok Development and Cultural Association, appealed to the Governor to consider elevating Lobonok Payam to county status. “It is a vast area,” he said, “and if it cannot be upgraded to a county, then at least let it be recognised as an Administrative Payam for better service delivery.” Lobonok Payam Director Seme Rombek expressed concern about persistent insecurity, noting that the area remains classified as Level 4, limiting the access of non governmental organisations. “Though the situation is improving, much effort is still needed to facilitate the return of displaced persons,” he said.   Youth representative Noel Matayo also raised the issue of roaming cattle disrupting farming activities. “We are ready to farm,” he said. “We urge your administration to ensure cattle are not returned to destroy farmlands.”  

Lobonok Community Concerns	Proposed Solutions or Requests
Insecurity and displacement	Improve security to allow safe return of residents
Food shortages and poor services	Increase support and government engagement
Lack of medical personnel	Deploy more health workers to local facilities
Incomplete Payam office	Expedite construction to improve governance structure
Roaming cattle destroying farms	Enforce cattle movement regulations
NGO access limited (Level 4 status)	Improve safety to increase NGO presence
Request for County/Administrative status	Upgrade Lobonok’s administrative recognition

e Governor urged the Lobonok community to remain united and to work together with the State Government to achieve shared goals of peace, development, and service delivery.