Asigi people call for restoration of basic services in Sohe

Residents of Asigi in Sohe, Northern, are calling for the urgent restoration of basic government services to their area following severe disruption to their livelihoods over the past three years.

Community members highlighted their plight during a joint stakeholder awareness campaign conducted at Papoga, Kanari, and Jajau villages recently.

The community has been struggling to rebuild since 2023, when lawlessness and civil unrest left numerous families displaced and without steady income sources.

A multi-agency team comprising officials from the Oil Palm Industry Corporation [OPIC], Higaturu Oil Palm’s smallholder affairs department, Popondetta Oil Palm Growers Association executives, the Oro provincial government, and Mobile Squad 20 officers, visited the area to address security and development concerns.

The delegation pledged to assist the community through targeted rehabilitation and restoration programs, but stressed that development hinged on total cooperation from locals.

Opic project manager Keuva Kiniawe urged residents to prioritize community peace, stating that basic services and economic opportunities could not survive in an unstable environment.

“Improving livelihoods can only happen if law and order is established first,” Kiniawe said.

Representatives from Higaturu and Mobile Squad 20 also appealed to Asigi leaders and youth to work alongside law enforcement to ensure lasting peace so service providers could safely return to the district.

Their plea for return of basic government services follows the criminal activities orchestrated by the Don't Care gang which affected the Asigi community three years ago.