Lakes’ Agaar-Pakam and Warrap’s Luanyjang sign peace

By Manyang Mayom

March 23, 2010 (WUNLIT) – The communities of Dinka Agaar-Pakam of Rumbek North County of Lakes State and Luanyjang of Tonj East County of Warap State have agreed to settle their differences on Tuesday at the end of a three day peace and reconciliation conference held in Wunlit payam of Tonj East County.

The signing of the March 23 peace reconciliation was witnessed by two commissioners and GOSS Minister of Public Services Awut Deng.

Chiefs used their thumbs to sign and youth from both sides’ hands were washed with water as a traditional African sign of reconciliation. The two counties’ commissioners signed the peace framework as witnesses.

The peace and reconciliation conference between the two communities was held under the theme “Together we can bring Stability and Development” in Wunlit. Rumbek North and Tonj East are badly affected by lack of drinking water as well as domestic animals.

The root causes of the problem between the feuding youth of the two counties are water scarcity, the incidence of pregnancy of girls among the two communities during the migration season, land disputes, poverty, misunderstanding and rumors between the communities, cattle theft, availability of guns in the hands of civilians, and lack of responsibility from leaders/elders.

The deputy executive director of the organization PACT Sudan, Alfred Okech, who mediated in the talks, said that the conference was initiated by the two sides of the conflict which he said related to issues of water and grazing land.

The reconciliation conference was attended by Warrap caretaker governor Salva Mathok Geng, GOSS Minister of Public Services Awut Deng Acuil, and both counties’ commissioners, Isaac Mayak Noah of Rumbek North and John Mayiik Bath Geng of Tonj East as well as over 800 communities leaders of both sides.

The representative of the government of Southern Sudan to the conference, Minister Awut Deng Acuil, affirmed that accessibility to water is the main problem and that the government of Southern Sudan is exerting efforts to resolve the problem of water between this two counties neighbouring each another.

Earlier, more than 1800 heads of cattle were recovered from the north of Lakes state to Warrap state.

Executive Chief of Tonj East County Mading Dhior said that “I am happy – I welcome you all and I greet you all. We have destroyed ourselves for long and are tired of killing and for this the reason we have gather here to seek ways forwards to solve our problems. Both communities if you have gathered here today let us find solutions. I will stop here and thank you all.”

Bai Mayuoth, an elder representing Gapagok payam of Tonj East, said “I greet you my people from Pakam, I am not going to say a lot because we had done the same talking in Rumbek and after two days later we fought again. Our cattle that have been taken have not gotten lost because we have nephews and nieces on both sides who are going to get married and the cattle are going to come back.

“You, the executive, you should have caught the thief because you know them since you know everyone in your community. My people, let us stop fighting among ourselves again since we have agree to reconcile with each another,” he said.

The PACT country representative, Judy Alison, said that PACT is known to many of the people in this region because they did the first conference here in 1999. Rev. Lora was behind the conference and one thing that she told Ms. Alison was that “peace cannot happen if the people of the communities cannot come together.”

The NGO representative added that the 1999 Wunlit conference laid the framework for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and other peace conferences that were done later by the people around the country. “This conference was done without the government of National Unity and GOSS. I am happy to be here. I am going to support you in any way that would be best. It is through the support of the British government we are able to do this conference.”

Chief Manyiel Lieny of Agar-Pakam greeted the people of both sub-tribes, saying “I am happy today since the conference has been brought to Wunlit again and I hope it is going to be successful like the one with Nuer. We have accepted peace for long.”

(ST)