21/04/2026
“You Cleaned the Bush, Now Leave”: Torit Mayor Orders Iluhum Block 5 Residents to Relocate to Unmarked Land, Sparking Outrage.
Community says relocation to Labalwa lacks roads, water, and basic services — residents claim they were intimidated and barred from asking questions during mayor’s visit_
TORIT, Eastern Equatoria — April 21, 2026
Tension is rose in Iluhum residential area after Torit County Mayor, announced plans to relocate residents of Block 5 to an undeveloped area near Labalwa, community members told this outlet.
According to residents who attended a meeting with the mayor Today, the directive would force families to abandon Block 5 — land they cleared from dense bush years ago and have since developed — for a site that has not yet been demarcated and currently lacks roads, water points, schools, and other essential services.
“We came here when this place was just bush. We slashed, we burned, we suffered to make it a home. Now that it’s clean and livable, they want to send us back to the bush,” said one resident of Block 5 who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal.
The meeting, which included a group of Iluhum residents — mostly from Block 5 — ended in widespread rejection from the community. Residents allege the announcement was delivered with intimidation and that they were not permitted to ask questions or raise concerns.
“They told us the decision is final. They said officials will return at a later date to mark our houses for demolition so we can go and ‘build again’ in Labalwa. But build what? There are no plots, no roads, no water,” another resident stated.
Block 5 residents say they have lived on the land for several years after transforming it from uninhabitable bushland into a residential community. The proposed relocation site in Labalwa, they claim, has no formal survey, no infrastructure, and no government services.
The mayor’s office had not issued a public statement on the matter at the time of publication.
Community members are now demanding transparency and dialogue. Their question to authorities: “If this land was not good enough for us before we cleaned it, why is it good enough now?
And if Labalwa is good enough for us, why are we being sent there without roads, water, or even a plot number?”
