Jonglei ‘Conflict Triangle’ Peace Assessment Report
Cover page of the 36-page PDF report linked below...
http://weakleak.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/peace-assessment-report.pdf
The above link leads you to the PDF report of the fact-finding mission assessing peace in the “Conflict Triangle” of Jonglei State conducted from April to May this year. This Conflict Triangle consists of Greater Bor (Bor, Twic East and Duk), Greater Pibor (Pibor, Pochalla and Boma) and Greater Akobo (Akobo, Uror and Nyirol). Here the war rotates in a loop of attacks and counterattacks. In this report, I made a recommendation that for the final peace to be realized, we, the youth in particular and other stakeholders in general, must join hands and heads to:
1- Convert cattle raiders to cattle traders
2- Tame rustlers into wrestlers
3- Turn thieves into chiefs.
In the following extract from the abstract of the research, I made the following analysis:
ABSTRACT
Jonglei State, the largest of the 10 states of South Sudan, comprising 11 counties, 18 Payams and 88 bomas, has been the epicentre of the Sudan Civil War since 1983. It is the state that released the first bullet that ignited the over two-decade war, and is again the one that is still releasing the last bullets despite the six-year old peace that is prevailing and resulting – in a month’s time – into a new state in the name of the Republic of South Sudan.
Geographically, the state spreads out over the world’s biggest swamp, the Sudd, and straddles the most productive part of the longest river on the face of the Earth, the Nile.
Economically, Jonglei is host to one of the biggest wild life migrations in the
world today (Wildlife Conservation Society’s survey, 2008), and owns the lion’s share of oil and arable land of South Sudan, still lying idle.
Ethnically, the region boasts of having the biggest population of the most distinct peoples, the Nilotes, of all the states. In fact, Jonglei is biblically alluded to as one of the constituencies of the imaginary Garden of Eden in the Sudan. The region hosts the majority of the Southern tribes, halving the two biggest tribes of the greater region. Its inhabitants, by human design and geographical influences, have spilled over other states like Upper Nile State and other countries like Ethiopia.
However, they are still cohesive to their origins and cultures despite such strategically dividing factors they are exposed to. Historically, Jongleyans are believed to fit the biblical description of the ‘tall, smooth-skinned (black) people whose and is divided by rivers”. These people include the Nuer, the Dinka of Bor sub-tribe, the Anyuak, the Murle, the Kachipo, and the Jie.
Nevertheless, all these historical and geographical blessings
have primitively or politically been turned into a curse. Jonglei State is one
of the African regions suffering from their own resource curse. These ethnic
and geographical endowments have been turned into factors of division rather than of unity. The region, which is peopled by tall and smooth-skinned, black human race who are (supposed to be) feared all over the world for their potentialities, is now being feared for their hostilities.
It is a region that has churned out generations of leaders after leaders, some of whom have achieved the status of prophets (like Ngundeng) and saviours that resembles the biblical Moses who delivered his people out of slavery in Egypt. Despite all these historical, geographical and ethnic wealth in the region that is supposed to be the breadbasket of not only South Sudan as an entity but Africa at its entirety, Jonglei is the least among all the regions of South Sudan in particular, and of the Sudan in general. In the advent of peace and the birth of the new nation, it is known to be the land
of death and misery as seen in the facts and figures shown on Table 2 (a,b,c).
The finger of blame does not squarely rests on the colonialists or other ill-will powers that plant weeds of discord in the region, the problem lies on the inhabitants of the land themselves. In terms of land size, population size, education and the competence of its people, Jonglei is among the leading. However, the question that needs to be answered by every native of this land, young and old alike is ‘But Why the death, the suffering?
In other words, why the gun instead of the hoe? Why the rustling instead of the wrestling? Why the campaign for fights instead of campaigns for rights?
The splendour of "the land divided by rivers" at Malual-Aghorbaar, Bor (Photo by J. Penn de Ngong, May 11, 2011)
QUICK FACTS ON JONGLEI STATE
Table 1
a) State (miscellaneous)
– Land Size: 122,497 Sq.KMs
– Population size: 1,358,602
– Administrative Division: 11 counties, 18 payams, 88 bomas
– Capital: Bor
– Governor: H.E. Kuol Manyang Juuk
b)
Counties (by names and population size)
-Bor 221,106
– Uror 178,519
– Pibor 148,475
– Ayod 138,282
– Akobo 136,210
– Fangak 110,130
– Nyirol 108,674
– Pigi 99,068
– Twic East 85,349
– Pochalla 66,201
– Duk 65,588
Sudan 5th Population and Housing Census, 2008, SSCSC, Jonglei State.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
The Jonglei State’s diverse ethnic and geographical background is supposed to be a blessing but is now turned into a curse. The curse meanders in the communities in a triangle of tribalism/ethnocentrism, conflict and then underdevelopment/poverty.
Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is an assumption by an ethnic group (tribe) of superiority over the rests. This is backed up by our African traditional history and contemporary politics of numbers and tribal loyalties. Parochial ethnicity breeds contempt of one ethnic group over the other. This results into tribal frictions, intolerance and eventually violence, the situation more widely believed (as seen by the peace from the speeches, expressions and references) to be fuelling the conflict in Jonglei.
Mass graves of Wernyol Massacre victims on August 28, 2009 (Photo by: name withheld by the webmaster)
Insecurity
As mentioned above, violence is always the quickest resort by many ethnic groups in this and other regions of South Sudan. When, for example, one tribe is freckled over aggressions, mainly of cattle rustling, child abduction and politics, they respond with violence. Unlike in the past when they used rudimentary weapons like spears and bows/arrows, the communities today use submachine guns which they acquired from warring parties who directly or indirectly arm and re-arm the civil population. This phenomenon results into heavy casualties on both sides of the attacks and counterattacks as shown on Table 2. All this culminates to underdevelopment brought about by insecurity.
Underdevelopment
As the region is labelled insecure and believed to be a no-go zone, no developmental projects venture into such affected areas. Of course, the whole region is engulfed by fear of insecurity. When there are no roads and other public amenities, communication is hampered. The only movement and interaction that is taking place at the intra-tribal, inter-tribal and inter-state levels is by the illegally armed group whose project is destruction, not construction. This makes the state lag behind in terms of development and standard of living.
Other Causes of the Conflict
Lou-Nuer cattle raiders turning from a counter-raid that they had staged at Jom, eastern Pibor (Photo by J. Penn de Ngong at Akobo Airsrip, May 11, 2011)
Since the cattle rustling has been embedded into the cultures and ways of life of the pastoral communities of South Sudan in general, and of Jonglei State in particular, many people and poorly analytical media have long preached that every attack is part of a cattle war. This has blurred other causes of conflict ignored, hence inflicted much damage on the communities. According to the responses of those the peace team interviewed, the tribal conflict in Jonglei is fuelled by the following factors:
1- Local and cheap politics: some politicians do take side with their
communities and approve their actions in order to win their support.
2- Rebellions: it has been discovered that some rebels who are fighting to overthrow either the government of Jonglei State or that of Southern Sudan have infiltrated the local communities and influenced them to attack other communities with the aim of enlarging the size of their movement and punishing the tribes that are majority in the government.
3- Government of Northern Sudan: Most of the respondents in Jonglei State point another finger of blame at the malicious activities and influence of Khartoum in the South, which has deeply been rooted in tribal politics. For instance, Khartoum government has been accused of using all means like politics of divide-and-rule, money, intelligence, guns and militias to turn one tribe against another with the intent of destabilizing the South.
4- Land Wrangles: land disputes are probably the next top cause of tribal conflict, next to cattle rustling, among the pastoral communities. The leading cause comes in form of wrangling over pastures and pastureland. This fact gives the tribal conflict a seasonal character since pastures vary seasonally.
5- Black Marketeering: due to break down of morals and laws, poor and redundant youths in the communities tend to turn into stealing other peoples’ livestock and barter them with others from other communities. This fact led to a new mafia of cattle rustling, and has significantly resulted into child trafficking also. Murle speakers had maintained that some Nuer and Bor criminal accomplices have sold them children, encouraging their own youth abduct more children for sale.
Please, find full report on this link: Peace Assessment Report.pdf
ADDITIONAL INFO ON JONGLEI STATE
Jonglei State is a land of myths and mysteries. I made more elaborate description of this land in my analysis, The Younique Generation Magazine, last year:
http://ustassgroup.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/younique-magazine.pdf (Page 18)
'The Bucket Wheel', one of the mysterious machines used for digging Jonglei Canal now lying in ruins at Twic East County (Photo by Deng Jogaak/July 2009)
Historically, Jonglei State has been a land of myths and mysteries, writes John Penn de Ngong. One of the factual myths about this mysterious land, of the world’s largest swamp (The Sudd) in the largest state of the largest country of the world’s poorest continent, is responsible for its name: “Jonglei”. By the way, if I were the aspiring governor of Jonglei State in the year twenty20, I would curve out of the Great Jonglei a new state and christen it The Sudd, because the current state is too big to be one state or too vast to fit under one leader. As if that is not enough, if I were the president of Southern Sudan (if that name will still be valid) after 2011, I would call our virgin nation The Sudd or The Republic of Cush (consult your dictionary/geography for the meaning of Sudd and The Bible for Cush). The Sudd is not an abbreviation or a nickname of The ‘Sudan’, it is the character of our “land divided by rivers”.
In the late 19th Century, a British explorer-cum-misssionary, Sir Samuel Baker, came trailing the current of the world’s longest river, the Nile, and pitched his camp somewhere along the ‘Toic of Twic”, the today’s Paker Payam of Twic East County of Borland. That was apparently the first time the naïve natives of that area saw a white man, so they thought he was a ‘jok’, meaning a god, a ghost or a spirit. For that matter, he was a foreigner (alei), hence a foreign god or “Jong lei” according to Bor tongue. Hitherto, that historical spot where Samuel Baker (known by the locals as Ajak Bakeer or Ajak-Keer) had camped, now a Payam with its inhabitants is called ‘Pakeer’, and the campsite referred to as ‘Jonglei’, out of which Jonglei Boma has emerged. That explains according to local historians the name of the state, Jonglei state (this assumption largely depends on the writer’s reasoning, hence is subject to research, verification, or correction like any of African oral literature).
Another myth from oral historians is the name, Bor, which is directly and dialectally tagged to Bor word for flood (Aboor) or the process of flooding (Boor), whereas others attached the name to an individual ancestor’s bush camp (bur), and the likes. To the Dinka or any other African community in their traditional setting, a name is believed to influence a destiny. So unlike Cush, the name Bor is not biblical, but one wonders why it sounds diabolical to non-Bor natives of Sudan. Of course, this allergy to the name, if not the natives therein, explains why Borland is the first to start the war and maybe the last to stop it.
This piece of the planet Earth, whose soil is floating on the lake of oil, the inhabitants believe, is the epicentre of Southern Sudan’s wealth, as seen in their biblical allusion to it as ‘the land flowing with milk and honey’, or the ‘land spoiled by rivers’, and inhabited by the ‘tall smooth-skinned people’ who are troublesome. In short, Jonglei state has been described as “a paradise lost” by the Cable News Network (CNN) TV on its wildlife survey, reported on December 8, 2009.
THE MANYABOL PEACE CONFERENCE — March 4 – 10, 2011
(Between Bor and Pibor or Murle and Bor)
A cross-section of chiefs at Manyabol Peace Talks by GUNPI in April, 2011
The Bor and Pibor chiefs, women, youth and local government representatives converged at Manyabol, Gumuruk Payam of Pibor County in the month of March this year, under the facilitation of GUNPI and funding by CRS. At the end of the conference, the two tribes leaders exchanged oath and signed official documents upon the recommendations and resolutions attached below.
For this and other reasons, the mitigation of conflicts between Bor and Pibor as seen in the reduction of number of coordinated mass attacks is attributed to this peace conference. Before GUNPI advanced to sign similar treaties between Pibor and other neighbouring and troubled or troubling counties of the Conflict Triangle, the Lou Nuer attacked Pibor on April 16, 2011, hence spoiling the flow of the conferences. This made GUNPI and partners changed the methodology and resorted to door to door visitation campaigns, resulting into the report posted above.
BOR AND MURLE PEACE AND RECONCILIATION MEETING
INITIATED BY GUNPI, FUNDED BY CRS AND GEBU REFERENDUM
April 4 – 10, 2011
Pictorial Report (see pictorial page on this website, link:………..)
FACILITATOR: REV. JOHN OKUMU
CHIEF MEDIATOR:
BISHOP NATHANIEL GARANG ANYIETH
Bishop Nathaniel opens the conference with prayer
The conference was officially opened by the Payam Administrator of Gumuruk Payam as delegated by the Commissioner of Pibor County. He said
we need peace toward South Sudan independence coming on July 9, 2011 .He added that this peace is like the CPA of Naivasha in comparison to Bor and Murle chiefs, youth, and women. So the conference is officially declared open.
Abraham Makur, the GUNPI programme coordinator, said that Murle and Dinka Bor communities should sit separately and GUNPI immediate.
Rev. Okumu opened the context with challenges and threw the agenda to both communities to decide and discuss the core critical areas of the conflict. He extended by saying recently in 2009 at John Garang Memorial University. We made a similar peace conference. I came to Gumuruk when people were killed at Bor civil hospital and Likwangulei, so i had been already mediating between you to
resolve the conflict. Only women want peace, so am happy for their presence.
Women from both side Dinka and Nuer united themselves together and gave
pressure in clear statement in 1999 said if you continue killing our sons then
we shall stop producing/giving birth with you men, the peace and reconciliation
tool place in Wunliet.The stakeholders are the youth, elders, women and politicians.
In Madi community, we only wrestle but not kill. These bring cycle of violent. It is not too late you still have time to make peace. When there peace, there will be development like church. I wanted to plant a Church even NGOs, UN agencies. Is there any person who does not need development? Peace has come and we are searching for. Prayer brings peace. If I ask you now I will find all of you as Christians.Now you should be group up and we shall ask you about your differences because you know your problems better than I do.
At the Manyabol Peace Talks, the list of Murle grievances above begins with "stealing of Awowo child by Bor people..."
SETTING THE AGENDA FOR THE MEETING
QUESTIONS
What are the root courses of the problems/Conflict between Dinka Bor and Murle? List them down below:
MURLE GROUP DISCUSSION
Q. What are the root causes of conflict (Problems) between the Dinka Bor and Murle of Gumuruk Payam/Manyabol?
List down the details.
- Lack of drinking water and grazing land during the dry season,
this cause movement to other areas in search of water. - Denying water point causes the conflict.
- Evidence of killing some of our people e.g a) Athilthil Guzulu
b) Nyariclo Bango c) KujuKorogi - Stealing of Awowo Child by Bor people.
- Attack on Nyelang Ngoruben, and four men were killed in that attack by Bor.
- Pargol’s 13 heads of cattle were stolen allegedly by Bor youths.
- In 2006 people (Murle sick people) were killed in Bor Hospital.
(among those killed was Ngacho-Payam administrator ) - In April 21, 2003 we were attracted when we were returning back to our areas by Dinka Bor, and killed BatharokBureth, and took 21 head of
cattle, the remaining people were force to run away in confusion from the seen; and we were fallowed up to Murle land, and took more cattle from Boba - Two people killed in Kochar, and cattle were taken of Nyanchizi (Nagachizi).
- Mach Ayuen’s group came and attacked Varo Maze and took his cattle.
- Kochar came and took ten cattle of Korya.
- In Kochar a family was attacked and two people of Nyathie were killed.
- In April 2010 at Kozar village was attact
- Kidnap children and five people were killed by Dinka
Q. What are the root cause of conflict (Problems) between the Murle of Gumuruk Payam (Manyabol) and Dinka Bor ?
List down the detail.
DINKA BOR GROUP DICUSSION
1-Abduction of childrens by Murle people
2-Cattle raiding
3-Killing of people for no reason e.g burning houses at Night
4- Even if, one identify for his caws and children Murle community does not release them. E.g:KechBirorDaught with chief herddhen in Pabiuoi
5. Killing traders while moving with their caws on Murle and Bor rods by the Murle people in 2010 e.g
- Ayor Mach Ayuen
Bor elders/chiefs make a toss of peace at Manyabol after presenting their grievances against Murle community
- Thon Achiek Bior
- Gai Manyok Bior
The above were killed by KiroyJ ok-Kuch Kudum Moch and raided 300 head of cattle.
6. In 1995, 14 children were abducted at Jalle Payam of which two of these children came back in 2003 and they know those who are now with the 12 children
7. In 2009, there was a child abducted from thian-wei Boma by name Machiek Garang AyathHe was abducted by Panpet Kuju Maze and Chacha Nyalang Ngaruben.
8. Before we came here the Murle Youth raided 27 cows in Anyidipayam on 31/03/2011
RESOLUTION AND RECOMMANDATION FROM MURLE AND DINKA BOR
Group Discussion MURLE
Q.1 Give five strong commitments that will finally stop the cycle of violence
between you and Dinka Bor?
RESOLUTION
1-We Murle will not accept any child sold to us illegally
2-Wewill request Dinka to allow us to take our cattle during dry season peacefully to their grazing land and water point.
3-We will not stop their traders to cometo our areas and let them move safely.
4-We shall use legal/lawful means to solve the outstanding problems of our wives who were taken back by their parents.
5- We will not attack Dinka Bor again as the critical issues have been resolved today.
Q.2-What
are the five important things you want Dinka Bor in order to stop the violent conflict?
RECOMMENDATIONs
1-As we have resolved the conflict Dinka should not attack us if our people came to their villages, towns and on roads.
2-Dinka must not bring their children for sale/exchange for cows to us.
3-Dinkashould stops taking our children claiming to be theirs by force.
4-The Dinka Bor should freedom for our traders and not to mistreat them.
5-The youth of Dinka Bor should not abuse Murle youth as they see them anywhere since we have already resolved conflict between us.
Q.3–What should the state government do in order to bring sustainable peace between you Murle and Dinka people? Give five important points
RECOMMENDATIONS
Lou-Nuer Paramount Chief, Gatluak Thoar, makes a press statement during a peace assessment mission by GUNPI and Jonglei State Peace Commission at Yuai on May 12, 2011 (Photo by J. Penn de Ngong)
1-The state government should set up primary schools in all payams and Bomas with the health centers to avoid conflict.
2-.The state government should provide safe drinking water for communities and dams to provide water for domestic animals.
3-The state government should make good roads system for easy transportation free movement, and mix up police forces in different locations in administrative
areas as a policy of integrating different tribe within the state.
4-The state government should set up mobile networks linking up the main road from Bor to Pibor town and the rest of the state.
5-The state government should provide relief food since there was drought and poor harvest in the area last year. And provide our communities with Agricultural
implements e.g.; tractors to create food security in the areas.
DINKA BOR
Q 1- Give five strong commitment that will finally stop the cycle of violence
between you Dinka Bor and Murle ?
RESOLUTIONS
1 We have granted free movement ‘
2- We have committed ourselves to observe Human Rights especially in protection of ladies.
3- WE commit ourselves to stop any criminal act
4- Cease-firehas been put in place with immediate effect from today.
Therefore, as a result peace and forgiveness should prevail
5-We call for an immediate inclusive peace conference among the Tribes of Murle, Dinka Bor,Anywak, Nuer, Kachipo, and Jie. In Jonglei State.
Q 2-
What are the five important things you want Murle to do in order to stop the, conflict?
RECOMMENDATIONS
Athok Ajang, Twic East women representative makes a statement during the peace assessment meeting by at Panyagoor on June 2, 2011 (Photo by J. Penn de Ngong)
1-Return our children as a sign of this peace agreement.
2-Compensate our brothers who were killed with 50 head of cattle are according to our tradition.
3-Return our cows that are already identified as a sign of peace.
4- Any criminal caught should be sent to court of law and be jail when found guilty
5-Any traders should move with document signed by Payam administrators. e.g.Manyabol—Anyidi road to Bor town.
Q.3-
What should the State Government do in order to bring sustainable peace between you the Dinka Bor and Murle? Give five important points.
RECOMMENDATIONs
1- Government should construct road from Bor to Ethiopia via Pibor County.
2- To provide water facilities liken hand pumps for human consumption and Dams for domestic animals use.
3-Build primary schools in every payams and Bomas together with Health Centre.
4- Power sharing in local administration at different levels, and intergrating police force and civil administrators from different tribes within the State.
5-Call for immediate an inclusive peace conference in Jonglei State-of all the tribe.
RESPONSES OF MURLE AND DINKA BOR DISCUSSION
MURLE GROUP
A Murle Youth leader responded that he was aggressed by an attack on their deputy paramount chief (Mr. Nyalang when he went to Bor while people were killed, people in the town were killed and it was intentionally. When we join business again, we started going together and we were killed. If it was a true peace you would have involved a Bor Youth.
Chief of Murle responded that he was denied right to complain for his person who was a patient and imposed on him a condition to pay money for opening the case while naming him as a thief by Ruei Puot . Why do you take your daughters we marry together with cows? However we accept peace because we have separated from Arab (Malagenya) we are the one who encourage thieves because we hide them as chiefs, it is Anyidi which is the place were Murle get problems. If it is really peace we came for then here is our C.A.Nakure and deputy paramount chief Mr. Nyalang, they can command us and we do according to their expectation.
Rebecca, Pibor Women Representatives makes a statement at Manyabol Peace Talks in April.
DINKA BOR GROUP
A Bor youth responded to the grievances set by the Murle group as that many conferences were conducted by them was not successful like the C.P.A. Which was organized several times and lastly succeeded at Naaivasha. Both Murle and Dinka Bor are not talking the truth.
Your traders do not go because you steal Children. The problem with Nyalang was the raiding of his cattle camps at Abii area. That led to people being killed on both sides such as Mr. Makwach Mading, the chief of
Abii. A number of people like the youths who were killed were not
reported. We do not steal children and the evidence is, we reported children of Nyalang at the time of his war with Abii community.
Dinka chief asked a question, why Murle emphasize on Anyidi, is to threaten us not to tell the truth. I will start telling them truth. Was it that you GUNPI
organization who were forcing us to come for peace without the will of Murle?Children taken by Ismail to Jonglei State head quarters were from various communities e.g. Nuer, Mundari, Bari, Twic East Anyuak not even one from Palek.
Why do they not give evidence of theft?
Killing of people of the road especially the innocent ones is made bythe
Murle. Marriage of Dinka Bor girls is only between Anyidi and Murle communities. Kiryo killed his in-law and was not reported. In-laws can not be mistreated in Dinka communities in general. If it is done your wife would divorce you.
Savid Kurkur was not in the conference of Gumuruk and Boma where Anyuak, Jie, Bari, Nuer, and Taposa were complaining of attack from Murle. So who do you think will be your friends?
Jonglei State Governor, H.E. Kuol Manyang, congratulates Mr. Agut-yom, a Mundari youths leader, after their successful performances in the combined wrestling championship during the 28th Anniversary of the Liberation Struggle in Bor, May 28, 2011 (Photo by J. Penn de Ngong)
Cc: H.E the State Governor
Cc: H.E State Minister for Legal Affairs &
Constitutional Development
Cc: H.E State Advisor for Peace
Cc:
Peace Commission office
Cc: Minister of Internal Affairs
Cc: H.E Commissioner of Bor County
Cc: H.E Commissioner of Pibor County
Cc: CRS NGO
Cc: NPA
Cc: A-Ecom
Cc: UNMIS
Cc: Chief Mediator Bishop of E.C.S
Cc: GUNPI File
Nuer chiefs pose for a group picture during the peace assessment mission by GUNPI at Yuai, Uror County on May 12, 2011 (Photo by J. Penn de Ngong)
Twic East chiefs pose for a picture with their acting commissioner and peace team at Panyagoor, June 2, 2011 (By J. Penn de Ngong)
Murle chiefs at Manyabol Peace Talks on April 5, 2011 by GUNPI
gunpeace
Jon Pen de Ngong
ustass
GUNPI-PEACE 