Jonglei: Akobo political reconciliation demands surrender of illegal armed groups

May 24, 2012 (BOR) – A two day political reconciliation conference in Uror, Nyirol and Akobo counties of Jonglei State concluded on Thursday in Bor town, calling for illegal armed groups to disarm and surrender their weapons.

The conference was attended by over 200 intellectual people of greater Akobo region. After a six week disarmament campaign South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir launched a political process to discuss how to bring peace and development to South Sudan’s largest but often unstable state.

The UN report that 140,000 people were affected by raids and counter raids in December and January. First, 6,000 men from the Luo Nuer group entered Murle territory in Pibor County, in response to a raid in August, attempting to repatriate cattle and kidnapped people. Murle groups were then blamed for a string of counter attacks.

During the disarmament campaign some groups fled to Ethiopia, while others are believed to have avoided the military by hiding in the bush. This meant that when the political process began many of the leaders of armed groups have not attended the state-wide and localised peace conferences.

Despite various deals being signed, the absence of many youth leaders from the Murle community and from self-proclaimed Luo Nuer prophet Dak Kueth, who avoided the disarmament campaign.

At the conference in Bor the delegates resolved that Kueth should surrender his arms to South Sudan’s army (SPLA). The SPLA have been criticised for the tactics used during the disarmament campaign. It has been reported the Kueth was willing to disarm but after the army surrounded his compound fighting broke-out and he escaped towards the Ethiopian border.

Speaking to the press, shortly after the resolution was read, Jonglei’s Deputy Governor and member of high committee of Lou-Nuer, Hussein Maar Nyuot, said that the resolution asks Dak Kueth to immediately surrender himself peacefully with his troops to the South Sudan government.

South Sudan’s army has “no intention to kill him or arrest him” Maar said. He called upon the people of greater Akobo to speedily communicate to Dak Kueth and urge him “to come back home”.

The 23 resolutions of the conference have been welcomed by community leaders.

(ST)

Sudan Tribune‘s report from Day 1 of the meeting – ‘Jonglei’s Greater Akobo area holds peace conference’

Full text of the conferences resolutions:

GREATER AKOBO LEADERSHIP MEETING ON RECONCILIATION AND PEACE BUILDING

DATE: 23-24 MAY 2012

CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Over 250 members of Greater Akobo Counties leadership consisting of National Minister of Justice, Information and Broadcasting, Ministers of the state, members of both National Legislature and State Assembly, elders, representatives of women, youth and intellectuals, met in Bor Town between 23rd- 24th May 2012.

The meeting discussed the following agenda:

1. Reconciliation and peace-building among political leaders and people of Greater Akobo.
2. Support for peace in the Greater Akobo and Jonglei state in general and;
3. How we as leaders and people of Akobo can connect and interact with other communities for realization of peace, development and the vision of our people of the independent South Sudan.

After lengthy objective deliberations during the two days, the meeting came out with the following resolutions and recommendations.

1. The Greater Akobo community supports our President on his unwavering stand and effort to bring peace in our country.
2. Resolved to forgive one another in a bid to open a new chapter in the process of reconciliation at all levels of the community and to maintain unity and peace for easy promotion of development.
3. Resolved to support and promote the resolutions and recommendations of the peace conference between the four communities of Greater Akobo, Bor, Fangak and Piborin Bor of Jonglei State held between, 1- 5 of May 2012.
4. Resolved to carry forward the process of reconciliation through conflict resolution process among all communities throughout Greater Akobo counties including the Anuak community of Akobo.
5. Recommends that the Lou Nuer Council leads the process of developing the development agenda of Greater Akobo through State, County donations and community contributions.
6. Recommends to have contact with Dak Kueth “Yong Deng” in order to accept peace and reconciliation with the government of South Sudan.
7. Recommends that the Lou Nuer community has to coordinate and foster peace and development amongst their citizens in the Greater Akobo.
8. Recognizing that many meetings of similar nature were conducted in the past and that their resolutions and recommendations have never be fully put into action, the participants in this meeting commit themselves that the resolutions and recommendations of this meeting fully implemented and urge all members of the reconciled leadership to open up for the general harmony and peace in the communities.
9. The meeting urges the Lou Nuer Council to hold regular quarterly meetings to address the community’s urgent concerns.
10. The community urges the leadership of the Council to draw-up a strategic plan on how to raise funds for Councils activities.
11. Recommends that mobilization of local resources, CDF, gifts, donations, self-reliance projects including cooperatives and county’s development funds should involve the Lou Nuer Council as matter transparency.
12. The meeting pledges to support the leadership of Jonglei State it effort to foster peace, stability and development.
13. The meeting resolved that the Greater Akobo leadership will meet on —– 2012 to brief the community in Juba and that shall be followed by the executive meeting of the Lou Nuer Community Council.
14. The meeting recommends leadership of the Council to consult with other leaders of the three greater (Bor, Fangak and Pibor) with the aim to conduct joint meeting to forge the unity and development of Jonglei State.
15. The meeting urges the Council to promote gender mainstreaming.
16. The meeting urges the leaders to inform the other members of the communities who have been unable to attend this historic meeting in Bor.
17. The meeting condemns the wonton aggression by the Republic of Sudan against the Republic of South Sudan inform of armed incursion at the borders and the random bombing of the citizen of the bordering States.
18. The Greater Akobo Community supports the initiative of disarmament but there are some minor attacks still being carryout by Murle youth on the civil population still of concerns.
19. The Lou Nuer Council Leadership shall work together with Commissioners, Chiefs and youth leaders to ensure that those who are still possessing fire arms should voluntarily give up their arms to relevant authorities.
20. The meeting recommends and urges the Presbyterian Church Leadership to speedy reconcile the church in Greater Akobo.
21. The Greater Akobo supports the mobilization of youth in support of our army SPLA.
22. To forge dialogue and understanding with neighboring states, especially, Upper Nile State.

The meeting urges the Lou Nuer Council to write letters of appreciation to our communities in Diaspora (United States, Canada and Australia) for their contributions to support the victims of community conflict. The meeting also thanks and appreciate the UNMISS for their logistic support to this peace meeting.

Challenges for Greater Akobo (Development and services needs)

The meeting recommends that the Lou Nuer Council should frequently exert some pressure to the National and State relevant institutions to bolster and support the basic needs of the communities in the following areas:

• Security cause by community conflict;
• Social development, education, health, food security, areas of Agriculture and clean water;
• Lack of well develop infrastructure;
• High youth unemployment which is a threat to social unity and peace; Commerce and supply.

Would you please stand-up and move together to our communities!