Jonglei’s Pibor residents in peace-building farming programme

July 18, 2012 (BOR) – The state governor of Jonglei, Kuol Manyang, on a tour of Pibor county, Jonglei state, expressed the commitment shown by Pibor’s communities to peace through farming.

Manyang, who visited three payams [districts] of Gumuruk, Lokuangule and Pibor headquarters via Juba’s US Embassy flights last week, told Sudan Tribune that the people of the Murle ethnic group have embarked on a programme of crop production as the main source of their livelihoods for the first time.

“In Lokuangule and Pibor town, people have cultivated maize. I was very happy to see that for the first time”, said Manyang.

Keeping cattle for meat and milk is the mainstay for many of the people of Pibor, so seeing people farm is a turning point according to Manyang.

Raiding and counter-attacking has left Jonglei in a turmoil in which hundreds of people have been killed and many women and children abducted.

The peace deal signed between the six tribes, coupled with the on-going disarmament programme has achieved a degree of stability in the state since May.

A source in Pibor told Sudan Tribune that Murle elders and leaders urged the government to support them with tractors to help them shift from manual land tillage to a mechanised one.

“MULRE ARE COMMITTED TO PEACE”

Although there are still thieves that are not yet apprehended, Pibor has pledged to respect peace and promised to work hard to strengthen their relationship with their neighbours.

According to the governor, the Commissioner moved from payam to payam disseminating the chiefs messages of peace to the people, asking them to hand over the abducted children and women to their families.

20 children who were in captive are now in Pibor waiting to be reunited with their families and many more were handed over to their parents and families.

According to the governor, the communities asked him to move with their commissioner and administrator to the Lou Nuer and Dinka Bor to hand over children themselves as a demonstration of their commitment to peace and to discuss with them new ways of building stronger relations.

CATTLE THEFT CONTINUES

Despite the fact that the state tribal clashes have been reduced by “99 per cent” according to Manyang, cattle theft between the tribes has not been entirely stamped out.

A group of criminals alleged to be from Murle tribe stole 71 cattle from the Dinka Bor village of Makol-Cuei in Bor county on 13 July.

The thieves were pursued by the police in Bor, who rescued the cattle on Sunday evening in Bainyith village of Ezdhino, Gumurk payam.

A source from Makol Cuei told Sudan Tribune that 69 cattle were brought back to their owners and three others killed by the criminals for meat.

Apart from one policemen who suffered injuries in his arm, Sudan Tribune is not aware of any casualties amongst the criminals.

Commissioner Joshua Konyi Irer, said he sent police to the area where it was anticipated the thieves would travel with their spoils.

“We have laid ambushes in the many places around here. When they come with cattle or without, they will be caught,” Konyi told Sudan Tribune on the phone from Pibor.

TRADE BETWEEN BOR AND PIBOR TO OPEN

Commissioner Konyi said opening a trading route between Bor and Pibor for cattle to move freely has started.

He said the cattle business between youth of Pibor and Bor will improve the relations by building on a common goal of business.

According to the commissioner, youth development is one of the biggest challenges facing the state and a task for the commissioners in the conflict affected counties to tackle.

Between two and three caravans made up of Murle and Dinka Bor traders have arrived in Bor in the last two months to sell their cattle.

(ST)