The Fate of the Dinka Bor IDPs: homeless in their country?
“How fit is one for peace, when one has made revolution one’s life?” –Nadine Gordimer
By Mading Ngor Akec Kuai
October 7, 2005 — Hard fought, hard won; however, sad about the outcome. The war has dragged my people in every thorny trail possible in Sudan. The unease began with firing of bullets in 1983 that marked the inauguration of the Bor Revolution that borne the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement. The ensuing years had never experienced any quietness either. Despite the tense situations at that time and even when the Arabs penetrated into Madingbor from time to time in the 80’s the man in the village still had his customs in tact. Young men could be seen at night singing songs about their adorned bulls to show off their “dheeng” or dignity. Grown ups are seen wrestling around the cattle camps while girls and women socialize in their (But). Boys are seen running after the calves making jokes, fights and friends. BOOM, come the attacks that changed Bor forever in the August of 1991. The man in the village lose hope, relatives and the cows that create bonds and cohesions in the Dinka life where nowhere to be sighted. Young people are taken to training camps; young adults are transferred to the war zones to fight the Jellaba for the liberation of Sudan, yet the civilians whom our youths went to fight for were massacred at home, albeit by their own African neighbours.
Meanwhile, the displacement begins. Bor villagers fled as far as their legs could carry them. A lot of them resettled in liberated areas of Eastern and Western Equatoria such as Pageri, Loboni, Kojekeji, Lui, Chukudum and Yei to name a few where there was strong military presence of the SPLA, hence more security. In the eyes of many Equatorians the Dinka are occupiers. There was so much enmity between the ‘host’ communities and the Dinka seeking asylum that many roads were barely passable, namely the roads between Kilkila and Chukudum were battlegrounds. Of course, when lions and hyenas are brought in contact with one another conflict is inevitable. Consequently, we are now hearing that there are feuds between the Moru and the Dinka over cattle trampling Moru people’s farms. Had there been a strong rule of law, had the Dinka been accommodated and allocated land to graze their cattle away from the Moru there wouldn’t have been any blood shedding between these nations. There needs to be a clear definition of boundaries as long as the Dinka are there to prevent future clashes.
I can imagine how sad it was for the farmers whose hard work came to no avail as a side-effect of the Dinka Bor cattle passing through. Whatever the case and the truth about the roots of the tensions, the local government must intervene and stop these unnecessary deaths without being subjective. The Juba Post is not showing both sides of the coins so far.
Evidently, the Moru have the right to farm and have their crops protected at lease. The Dinka on the other hand are displaced and the Moru people must recognize the conditions that brought them to their land and before they are able to move back to the Dinkaland, their valuable patience is requested. As a Dinka would say “in another village a dog that wouldn’t have otherwise eaten you can eat you, but in your own village you can do the most shameful thing like eating while standing without being bothered.” The Dinka must realise that they cannot eat while standing in Moru. However, the actions of the individuals that exaggerated this tiny dispute, Dinka or Moruish, into a communal scope are condemnable.
*Mading Ngor Akec Kuai is a student at the United World College of the Pacific, Victoria, Canada