PROJECT

Peace Commission

Conflict management

Long before the independence of South Sudan created an international boundary, there were violent confrontations in the border area.  During the dry season in northern Sudan, members of the Misseriya tribe would take their cattle from South Kordofan state to the south where grass and water are more plentiful. There would be frequent cattle raids and armed clashes between them and the Dinka Malual people in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state.  The violence reached a peak in the 1980s when an armed militia group called the Murahaleen caused massive destruction, burning villages, killing people and taking cattle as well as human captives back to the north.  This marked the beginning of a civil war that ended with South Sudan's independence in 2011.

 Since then there have been concerted efforts to resolve conflicts peacefully.  A Peace Commission including elders from the Misseriya and Dinka Malual now has formulated a written agreement on how to settle disputes, including payment of compensation and arrest of persons who violate the agreement.  A similar agreement has been established between the Dinka Malual and the Rezeigat people of Eastern Darfur state.  While there are still violent clashes, the situation has improved markedly.

William Kolong of PADA is the coordinator of the Peace Commission.  He is involved directly in the negotiations and dispute settlements.  He has been invited to share his experiences with officials and organizations involved with similar problems elsewhere in South Sudan.

1.

Meetings between elders from both sides of the border are held to resolve disputes at several Peace Centers located along the border between the countries.  Construction of the centers was funded by US AID.

2.

Several Peace Markets have been built with funding from US AID. They are intended to facilitate the orderly and peaceful movement of goods across the border.

3.

The Peace Commission has been successful in keeping local issues such as cattle raids from escalating into major international incidents involving armed forces from the two countries.

PROJECT

Sport for Peace

Multi-ethnic sport competitions

The sports programs mentioned in the Community Development projects section have a very important additional dimension. For many years there have been cattle raids, usually involving communities of different ethnic groups.  In recent years, the violence has escalated, in part because guns are often used instead of pangas.  In addition, these gangs of young men are often drawn into larger political disputes and recruited or co-opted into militias loyal to various political leaders or rogue generals.

Another problem is that, with the massive influx of returnees from northern Sudan and IDPs (internally displaced persons) from other parts of South Sudan, there has been an increase in thefts and clashes between youths from these different backgrounds.

The aim of the Sport for Peace program is to provide youths with alternative ways of channeling their energy. Literally, it is an attempt to replace the attraction of guns with basketballs and footballs.  Hopefully, South Sudanese young people who have become successful athletes on the global stage, like Lual Deng of the Los Angeles Lakers, will become the new heroes and role models for youths. PADA and the organizers of the sport program deliberately combine competitors from different ethnic groups on the same teams and clubs. They also blend together local youths with those from returnee and IDP groups,  so youths from the different backgrounds then must co-operate with each other to achieve the common goals of the sports club.

1.

All of the teams and events in the annual sports festival in Aweil contain competitors from a variety of ethnic groups, and combine local residents with returnees and internally displaced persons.

2.

The principle of inclusiveness is extended to include girls in sporting competitions, possibly for the first time.

3.

Following the 2016 football competition at the Aweil sports festival, the best players from the various teams were selected to form a club, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds or whether they were local or from elsewhere.  Sponsored by PADA, the team is fittingly named the Pan Aweil United Football Club. They are entered in a local Greater Aweil football league.  The winners will go to a national "champions' league" competition in Juba.  The league is registered with FIFA.