Support leaders working for tribal reconciliations

By Zechariah Manyok Biar

August 20, 2009 — Tribal clashes in South Sudan have now reached a stage where they happen less than thirty days apart. Many Southerners agree that there must be an invisible hand behind these crises since we are approaching both national elections and referendum in 2010 and 2011 respectively. If there is an invisible hand behind tribal clashes in the South, then we need to do something about it. Strategic plan in the world of today, whether in business competition or war situation, is encountered with another strategic plan. Speed does matter in the encountering of malicious strategies.

I am aware now that some of our leaders in South Sudan who know that tribal clashes would destabilize the South are now working toward the initiative of reconciliations among different communities, especially in Jonglei State. I support these leaders. The whole of South Sudan should promote reconciliations among different tribal groups.

However, effective strategy would be a design of a plan that would lead to a real peace among different communities. We know that some communities had reconciled in the near past, but never honored their commitments. This could be the lack of awareness about the importance of agreement. Those communities might not know that a signature on a paper brings curse when dishonored for no genuine reason. The other reason for the dishonoring of agreements among communities could be that the talks were not supported by the majority in the first place. Yet, another reason could be that leaders do not take time to explain to their people what they had agreed upon with another community.

To deal away with the above obstacles, our leaders should consider the following strategic plans:

First, a survey needs to be carried out at the grassroots level to find out what people think about their relationships with the community that they see as their enemy. What do they believe to be major problems existing between their community and the community that they regard as their enemy? How do they think these problems should be solved? What are the steps that they believe would bring permanent peace between their community and the community that they regard as their enemy? What do they give as punishments for those who will dishonor the agreement between their community and the community that would reconcile with them?

The aim of doing this survey is to get solutions from the people themselves. People who fight among themselves know their problems better than any outsider. Another reason for the survey would be to iron out misunderstandings that exist among different communities. Communities would also be the ones to tell the government clearly whether tribal clashes that we have in the South today are generated somewhere or not.

Second, our leaders and intellectuals need to remind our communities of their traditional war norms. In the past up to late 1970s, the killing of women, children, and old men was a taboo in many tribes in South Sudan. In tribes where facial scars were used as sign of transition from a boy to a man, the killing of anybody without facial scars was regarded as a cowardice act. Communities that had different ways of initiation would only kill men who were able to fight, because uninitiated boys used to remain at home when initiated men had gone for fighting. That means anybody found outside the scene of the fighting was regarded as a boy, however old he would be, and was never killed.

Women and children were completely not killed whatsoever the matter could be. That was the reason why women were not allowed to fight during the North-South war. Our communities used to regard women as non-hostile innocent beings. Children were also regarded as innocent people that had nothing to do with decisions that their fathers made against other communities.

The killing of old men was regarded as a curse to anybody who did it. Old people are respected everywhere in Africa. They might get involved in malicious plans against another community, but that would not justify their killing. Old men were known for telling their children that if they were young like their children, other men would not urinate on their heads. That language was one of the main causes of many attacks and revenge attacks on tribes. But still old men were not killed because they were weak to fight, and no young man was expected to kill anybody weaker than him without earning himself a name of being a coward.

These norms were lost during the North-South war when communities would use guns to kill people indiscriminately in their opposing communities. The Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) had a part in the break down of tribal rules when it suspended the powers of tribal chiefs. Ruthless civilians became the makers of tribal values, leading to what we see today.

Since the government of South Sudan has already restored the powers of tribal chiefs and kings, the reconciliation among communities must include the preaching about the importance of return to traditional norms in which the killing of women, children, and old men was a taboo.

In order for reconciliation to be successful in South Sudan, the government needs to invest in it. The fear of spending should come second to the burning desire for solution to tribal clashes that are now getting out of control. Clear strategies, including clear models for implementations of agreements among tribes, must be developed even if they cost a lot of money.

Speed is the only solution at this time if our government is to effectively encounter the malicious strategy of an invisible hand with another strategy. All Southerners must support leaders working for reconciliations among our people.

Zechariah Manyok Biar is a graduate student at Abilene Christian University, Texas, USA. He is pursuing a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry and a Master of Science in Social Work, specializing in Administration and Planning. He is a regular contributor to www.newsudanvision.com and www.sudantribune.com. For comments, contact him at email: [email protected]