In a letter dated June 17 and addressed to Mr Kiir, the acting leader of the Apuk-Juwiir community, Machuong Kuol, claimed that engineers and equipment belonging to a company identified as Marathon Petroleum Service Company Ltd. had been transported to Didar Boma in Aguka Payam under the protection of special forces.
The community alleges that mining activities commenced without the consent of local communities, county authorities, the Warrap State government or other stakeholders in Tonj South County.
“We write this to let you know that there was no MOU signed between the hosting government of the county, community, state government and youth of the area before mining activities,” the letter states.
According to the community leader, land clearing activities had begun by June 17, with mining operations reportedly underway at the site.
The letter specifically links the operation to Adut, alleging that she facilitated the deployment of engineers, equipment and security personnel to the area. The community further alleges that Michael Dangaru, identified in the letter as the project coordinator, had informed residents about plans to undertake mining activities.
Engineer Franco John was named as the person expected to oversee the extraction activities, while Gen. Akech Tong Aleu was accused of providing security clearance for the operation.
The Office of Special Envoy on Special Programmes did not issue a public statement at the time of publication.
Community demands investigation
The Apuk-Juwiir community said the natural resources in Didar belong to the people of Tonj South and South Sudan as a whole and should benefit local communities and national development.
The community argued that residents of the Apuk-Juwiir, Thony, Muok, Yar, and Bongo communities were not consulted before the alleged mining activities commenced.
“As such, this project must withdraw from the site and territory of Tonj South if the government values the voices and demands of the community,” the letter said.
Among the demands presented to President Kiir are the immediate withdrawal of security forces and project personnel from the area within 72 hours, the establishment of a presidential committee to investigate the allegations, and an urgent meeting involving community leaders and lawmakers representing Tonj South at the state and national levels.
The community also requested the president to direct the engineers and project leaders to comply with local demands and ensure that any future resource extraction activities follow proper procedures.
Warning against conflict
Despite expressing strong opposition to the alleged mining operations, community leaders emphasized that they do not seek confrontation with either individuals or companies involved in the project.
“We, the community of Tonj South, don’t want conflict with anybody, either individual or company, but we will only act to defend our resources if our government supports unprocedural ways of doing things,” the letter stated.
The community further reaffirmed its support for President Kiir’s leadership while calling for accountability against individuals accused of undermining community interests.
“Tonj South communities rally behind your leadership and call for accountability on those individuals who act with supreme powers of the nation that undermine the integrity of the community,” the letter added.
The dispute comes amid growing concerns in several parts of South Sudan over mining activities, community participation and the management of natural resources.
Local communities and civil society groups have increasingly called for greater transparency, stronger regulation and meaningful consultation before extractive projects are undertaken.
In March 2026, armed men killed over 70 people after opening fire on residents at a gold mining site in Jebel Iraq of Central Equatoria State. The attack took place on the evening of March 28 in Kare Nare, also known as Khor Khaltan, where artisanal miners were working in the sultan area before they were gunned down. Three months later, no one has been held accountable.
