Dinka Malual and Rezigat pastoralists sign new peace agreement with FAO support
On Sunday 2 February 2020 pastoralist communities of the Dinka Malual of South Sudan and the Rezigat of Sudan concluded the two-day 9th Pre-Migration Peace Conference in Nyamlel, a few kilometres away from the border with Sudan. The leaders of the two communities signed an agreement that officially sets the rules for the ongoing migratory season that has previously been a source of tension.
Pre-Migration Peace Conferences serve as platforms to promote peace and harmony among border pastoralist communities. Since the first edition in 2008, relations between the communities have progressively improved. Livestock herders from Sudan are allowed to cross the border towards the Dinka-controlled territory and at the end of the migration period, they can return peacefully to Sudan through the designated routes.
Every year at the beginning of the dry season, the Rezigat of Eastern Darfur and other pastoral communities migrate southwards from their settlements in Sudan in search of water points and grazing grounds for their livestock. This seasonal movement has become an integral part of the social fabric in both migrant and host societies, like the Dinka Malual, who see it as an opportunity to trade animals or purchase other goods from Sudan at the bordering markets. However, the influx of livestock to the region, coupled with scarce resources and animal raids, creates an atmosphere ripe for conflict.
Cattle raiding remains a major threat in many parts of South Sudan, especially in the dry season. “Maintaining and improving peaceful relations and creating platforms for consultation is critical to prevent conflict over control of natural resources” said Meshack Malo, FAO Representative in South Sudan. “We are increasing our efforts to set the foundations for dispute resolution, create joint markets, preserve land pastures, and water resources,” he added.
FAO has been actively contributing to minimise natural resource-based conflict in border areas of South Sudan. To this end, FAO organises extensive vaccinations of the cattle belonging to both the nomadic and host communities. This not only prevents the spread of transboundary diseases, but also helps prevent conflict.
Organized every year under the auspices of FAO, UNDP and UNMISS, led by the South Sudan Peace and Reconciliation Commission and the Regional Peace Coordinator, migration peace conferences also play a key role in establishing punitive measures to prevent pastoralists from breaking the rules previously agreed upon. Among the decisions taken is the number of animals to be paid as blood compensation if someone is deliberately killed and how and when the compensations should happen. In addition, they serve as a forum to engage local leadership in community-based dialogues to address development concerns, disarmament or taxation.
“We have the possibility to meet, talk about our issues and improve our relations. This is very important to us, we are neighbors and we have a lot in common,” said Fadhala Ali, from the Rezigat community. “I thank my South Sudanese brothers for allowing us to use their water sources and graze our cows in their prosperous lands. If we had to remain in Sudan our animals would suffer and die.”
“The peace conference is a model that needs to be replicated in other border areas of South Sudan,” says Willian Kolong Pioth, coordinator and member of the South Sudan Peace and Reconciliation Commission. “The situation here in Northern Bar el-Ghazal is peaceful but our neighbours have problems, and if we do not cooperate with them, their problems will eventually come to us”.
The next conference will be held after the migration, between May and June, when the pastoral communities head back to Sudan. At that time, the two communities will get a chance to meet once again in order to continue the discussion on their common concerns and to evaluate the migration season at its conclusion.