Talking peace in the killing fields

To a pastoralist, the death of six daughters is like the death of a huge herd of cattle. He may forgive his tormentors, but can he forget?

Achol's story evokes fresh but crude memories of the violent ethnic fighting that ravaged most parts of Upper Nile region since 1991, as a direct result of the split in the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army (SPLA), with some areas reduced to a no-man's land, reminiscent of Somalia.

The General Secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, Rev Canon Clement Janda, who is a south Sudanese, put the fate of the southern Sudanese thus: "we were supposed to have been one of the first independent countries in the (African) continent, but we are now the biggest bush. We have no roads, no schools, no hospitals and no services."

Achol was one of the participants at the peace and reconciliation conference among Nuer, Anyuak, Dinka, Jie, Kachipo and Murle people, held at Lilir village, Bor county May 9-15. The conference site was once a killing field during rebel factions fighting of the early 1990s.

The conference was a continuation of efforts by the New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC) to bring peace at the grassroots level. The NSCC People to People Peace process has already witnessed the success of two peace conferences. There was the historic Wunlit peace covenant signed in March last year between the Dinka and Nuer of the West Bank of the River Nile; and the Waat peace covenant signed in November last year between the Lou Nuer.

In a spirit of truth and reconciliation, the Lilir peace and reconciliation conference brought together over 150 former enemies from the six tribes, comprising of traditional and civil leaders, including women and youth.

At the height of the tribal killings, the church could not fold her hands, but to mediate. The mediation process has adapted traditional methods of conflict resolution.

In the Lilir conference and indeed as in the other previous conferences, two white bulls were slaughtered on the first and last days of the peace conference respectively. The white bull here symbolizes peace, as is the white dove in some societies.

This was the first time for the six neighboring tribes in Upper Nile to come together to talk peace. An atmosphere of openness and democracy overwhelmed the conference as the conferees related heart-rending stories of atrocities committed by parties to the tribal conflict. No stone was left unturned and all took the blame.

It was like a village court. The bitter truth was laid bare as participants told their stories without fear of revenge or prosecution. With remorse the conferees were repentant of what took place during the bloody years of ethnic violence. The participants were quick to point an accusing finger at some notorious rebel commanders, some politicians and some church leaders of continuously conspiring to divide south Sudanese on tribal lines to satisfy their selfish interests.

Another category of people severely attacked in the conference were the Murle. It was alleged that the Murle were incorrigible cattle raiders, and abductors of women and children. Moreover, it was alleged that the Murle have a penchant for children because their fertility rate is very low due to incurable venereal diseases that have plagued their community for years.

One of the Murle participants, Francis Lokurnyang dismissed the accusations leveled against the Murle. He said all the other tribes have been involved in committing atrocities like killing of innocent people, abducting women and children and cattle raiding.

In a subsequent interview however, Lokurnyang admitted that venereal diseases have plagued his community because no health services are rendered to the people. He also admitted that there was a ring of some unscrupulous people trafficking in children. He said the children are sold clandestinely to childless couples for adoption. He said children fetch between 20 and 30 heads of cattle, with girls fetching more cattle.

Cattle have been at the center of the inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic fighting in Upper Nile. Due to the on-going civil war, livestock populations have been depleted drastically, hence the need to acquire more cattle by hooks and crooks.

Most of the ethnic groups in Upper Nile own cattle as a source of food wealth, prestige. Cattle are also kept as an investment in traditional marriages. Some young men who don't own cattle raid from the neighboring tribes, as it is aptly illustrated by the late Ugandan author Okot p'Bitek in his novel the White Teeth:

"Shortage of wealth has treated me cruelly, oh. Whose cattle shall I raid so that I may marry my woman with?"

When the SPLA split in 1991, more factions were created and more light guns were in the hands of the people. The gun was/has therefore been used as a means as well as an end, resulting in an increase in cattle raiding and senseless killings among civilians due to heated ethnic animosity.

The NSCC Executive Secretary, Dr Haruun Ruun said the Lilir peace and reconciliation conference offered yet another great opportunity for the warring tribes of south Sudan to make peace and to reconcile.

He said peace and reconciliation and an end to tribal killings is the only option for peace and unity to prevail in south Sudan. However, he cautioned that if southerners want to engage in tribal massacres, there are people out there who are ready to help them in the prosecution of the genocide.

"Let's unite for our survival or else we will disappear from the earth surface," said Dr Haruun.

One of the roles the NSCC is playing in its agenda of the people to people peace process is to diffuse tribal tension as an important factor in the grassroots peace making.

Hailing the success of the Lilir Peace covenant which was signed by over 100 delegates, Mr Telar Deng, the NSCC People to People Peace Facilitator said what is at stake is the unity of the Nuer people. He affirmed NSCC's attempt at resolving the Nuer-Nuer conflict which has been perpetrated mainly by the rival politicians and commanders heading various armed factions in Upper Nile. Some of the factions get their logistics and moral support from the Government of the Sudan (GOS).

"The Nuer-Nuer conflict is eating up the social fabric and political understanding of the Nuer people," said Mr Telar.

After signing the covenant, the delegates agreed, among others, that all traditional hostilities will cease among them; a general amnesty to all offences against people and property committed prior to the conference; return of all abducted women and children to their traditional homes; access to grazing and fishing grounds and free movement of people across common borders.

Victor Lugala is the Press Officer with ACT member New Sudan Council of Churches.