S. Sudan risks conflict over exclusion of minority groups: MRG

By Julius N. Uma

December 14, 2011 (JUBA) — The newly independent South Sudan risks an
outbreak of internal conflicts, if minority ethnic rights are excluded
from the country’s major decision making process, Minority Rights
Group International (MRG) said in a recent briefing.

The update, entitled “Southern Sudan: The role of minority rights in
building a new nation”, details a series of interviews conducted on
the protection of land and property rights of minority groups and
individuals in the country.

The role of minorities, it says, must be a focal point in the
nation-building process, adding that competition over access to scarce
resources could cause tensions between groups, often leading to an
explosion of violence that undermines development initiatives.

“There is also a danger that ethnic concerns could hijack the
political process even as it develops. This could create a state
dominated by the interests of the most populous ethnic groups at the
expense of smaller ones,” the 12-page briefing partly reads.

The newly independent South Sudan, which comprises of 10 states, is a
home to an estimated 56 ethnic groups and almost 600 sub-groups.

In an interview with Sudan Tribune on Wednesday, Marusca Perazzi,
MRG’s Conflict Prevention Projects Coordinator expressed fear on the
risk of minority people losing not only their cultural identities, but
natural resources as well.

“Minority communities should be allowed to develop their own systems
to enable them protect their rights on land and properties,” Perazzi
said during the launch of the briefing in Juba, the South Sudan
capital.

MRG’s comprehensive update, among others, urges government to ensure
that land leases to private companies are subjected to community
consultations, and that South Sudan’s draft transitional constitution
should be modified to allow for an independent and impartial process
for the appointment of the members of the Land Commission, rather than
appointment by the President, as is currently provided for.

The same process, it further recommends, should apply to bodies
established at county and payam (district) levels under South Sudan
Land Act 2009.

A 2011 baseline survey on large scale land-based investment in South
Sudan shockingly revealed that about 2.64 million ha or 26,400 km2
(larger than the size of Rwanda) has been allocated for foreign
investments in agriculture, bio-fuel and forestry.

The survey carried out by South Sudan Law Society and Generation
Agency for Development and Transformation-Pentagon (GADET-Pentagon)
further noted that about 5.74 million ha or (57,400 km2), an
equivalent of 9% of South Sudan’s total land area have been earmarked
for both domestic and foreign investments.

Companies such as such Al Ain Wildlife, Nile Trading and Development
and Jarch Management, according to the survey, lead the pack of
investors with the biggest land allocations in South Sudan.

(ST)