The Luo community of Aweil Center County in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State has announced the expulsion of Fallata cattle keepers from their area, explaining that the decision was made to protect the local economy and resources from devastation.
The Luo lands are rich in wild fruits and roots that are considered staple foods which means that the Luo do not depend on imported food.
In 2021, the Luo and Fallata pastoralists agreed that the latter would preserve the property of the former.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Thursday, the Luo community paramount chief, Santino Ober Mawut, said they have been coexisting with the Fallata peacefully until the pastoralist breached the deal.
“The Fallata have been here with us since the time of our forefathers and there was no problem but now they are bringing problems to us by destroying all our wild fruits such as olives, Adok, and Obera (wild plants) in Luo land. That is why our community decided to expel the Fallata,” he explained. “Also, communities coexist if they practice intermarriage, but the Fallata choose to live in forests and do not want to live in town.”
For his part, the Fallata paramount chief, Mohammed Omer Adam, said they have no option but to leave. He blamed unscrupulous people for fomenting hatred between the two communities.
“If a house owner tells you to go away, you do not have any option but to leave because it is not good to live in hatred and chaos. Sometimes intruders create rumors and spread propaganda among people.”
“There are people who I will name now who made the Luo take such a decision,” Omer added.
Meanwhile, Aweil Center County Commissioner Peter Natal revealed that the Luo community leader’s decision to expel the Fallata was reached at during a peace conference in July 2023.
“The issues were addressed during the peace conference attended by the four communities Luo, Dinka Malual, Fallata, and Rizeigat and the Luo host community decided to expel the Fallata nomads from their areas because the Fallata defied the resolutions made in 2021,” he said. “I have reported the request to the state’s higher authorities and we are also waiting for the resolutions that were passed in the July 2023 peace conference from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).”