South Sudan proposes traditional leadership conference to end conflicts Article Comments (5) Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 27, 2011 (JUBA) - The South Sudan government on Saturday proposed convening a conference with traditional leadership across the country to look for mechanisms to address the new country’s various tribal conflicts. A southern Sudanese man dons traditional tribal accessories during a pro-independence march in the southern capital of Juba on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. The event, which drew hundreds of supporters, aimed to bolster pro-independence sentiment ahead of an independence referendum scheduled for January 9, 2011 (AP) The clashes between the Murle against the Lou Nuer ethnic group this month have killed over 600 people according to local officials. The Murle attack is in response to a Luo Nuer raid in June, which local activists say killed around 900 people. Cattle raids and revenge attacks between the neighboring tribes have resulted in the death of 1,000 people since January according to the UN. In the same period the UN says tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes, and hundreds of women and children have been abducted from both communities. If organised, the conference will be the Juba government’s first major political event since Africa’s 54th state was established in July. It would draw participation of paramount chiefs from all the ten states of South Sudan representing different cultures and tribes. Similar conventions were held in Bentiu of Unity State in 2008 and in the Upper Nile region but the resolutions were not implemented. Murle chief Ismail Konyi told the press at South Sudan’s parliament in Juba that he would support any programs and initiatives to foster peace and reconciliation. Konyi said the interim constitution of South Sudan allows the Council of States - of which Konyi was one of the appointees - to legislate in order to promote a culture of peace, reconciliation and communal harmony among the peoples of South Sudan. The all-appointed Council of States is the second branch of South Sudan’s parliament, the National Legislative Assembly. “Under article 60 (F) of part one in chapter five of the competence of the council of states in interim constitution of South Sudan, the council of states has a mandate to legislate a law aiming at promoting a culture of peace and reconciliation among the people”, observed Konyi. “There is no way to maintain peace in this country if we do not prioritise and support peace and conflict resolution programs through involving participation of the traditional leadership," Konyi told journalists on Saturday. “I have been telling our traditional leaders and politicians that wars and ethnic fights can never end differences, instead they tend to cultivate animosity between brothers and sisters if appropriate measures are not taken to address them”, explained Konyi. The former presidential advisor on peace and reconciliation categorically stated that revenge does not resolve long standing differences and only makes things worse. He said that in his home state of Jonglei, the Dinka, Nuer and his own ethnic group - the Murle - have been engaged in attacks and counter attacks for decades. “The acts of attacks and counter attacking among cattle keeping communities in South Sudan are not the solution to addressing local differences. There have to be national and unified positions on how to address issues connected to tribal fights in South Sudan”, he said. A group of officials from Jonglei told Sudan Tribune immediately after the clashes in Uror county, which began on August 18, that the fighting had resulted in 640 deaths, 861 people sustaining injuries, the kidnap of 208 children, the arson of 7,924 houses and the theft of 38,000 cows. The scale of the attacks so soon after South Sudan’s independence has concerned not only the Juba government but also the UN and members of the international community. The UN Mission in South Sudan and the country’s army, the SPLA. have sent more troops to the area to bring an end to the violence. SPLA officer Kuot Dut Kuc, told Sudan Tribune on Saturday that acts of vengeance between Nuer, Murle and the Dinka Bor are on the rise in Jonglei. Kuc, who was assigned to the state between 2009 and 2010 said he "realised that in Jonglei State, the killing of two or three people is a normal thing." "People are killing themselves like animals”, said Kuc. Insecurity through cattle raiding and banditry is one of the major challenges facing South Sudan, after it separated from North Sudan on July 9 as part of a 2005 peace that ended decades of conflict. Numerous rebel groups add to the insecurity making it difficult for South Sudan - one of the poorest countries in the world - to develop after decades of crippling civil war. The military officer described cattle raiding and the killing and abduction of children, which are regular occurrences in Jonglei, as a “real threat” to national security and development. “If there are people preaching wars and ethnic fights in South Sudan, I am telling you in the media that no one can ever win ethnic war. No one, I tell you, will be declared to have won ethnic war against the other instead all will be losers. So when two communities lose their ethnic wars, it is the south as a country which is losing its people because these tribes or communities [are] part of this country." He said that reprisal attacks or the deployment of extra UN or SPLA troops would not end the problem. The solution he said was to initiate a dialogue between the communities "Their politicians including those in the army need to initiate and implement resolutions of the dialogue else the ethnic fight will continue unabated”,he said. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
