Eastern Equatoria State Governor Louis Lobong Lojore met with representatives of the Kor community of Lafon County on Wednesday to discuss concerns over alleged unpaid land rent by African Parks, a wildlife conservation organisation operating in the area.

During the meeting, community representatives presented a position paper outlining their concerns about the land-rental agreement.

Governor Lobong clarified that the collection of land-related fees, taxes and other statutory payments from investors and non-governmental organisations is the responsibility of the government under the law. He said the revenue collected is used to fund public services and development programs for the benefit of all citizens.

The governor emphasised that host communities should benefit from investors and organisations through corporate social responsibility initiatives rather than directly collecting land rent.

He encouraged the Kor community to focus its discussions with African Parks on securing sustainable development projects that would benefit the broader population.

Governor Lobong said such initiatives could include the construction or rehabilitation of schools, health facilities, feeder roads, water infrastructure and other essential services aimed at improving local livelihoods.

He also urged the community to maintain constructive dialogue with the state government and African Parks to ensure that development projects are implemented transparently, fairly and in a way that delivers long-term benefits to the entire community rather than a small number of individuals.