The governor of Central Equatoria State, Augustino Jadalla, on Thursday, told a high-level conference on cattle migration in Juba that unregulated cattle migration has escalated violence and instability.
The conference brought together officials, community leaders, and representatives from UN agencies and civil society to address the rising conflict between cattle herders and farmers, which has led to loss of lives, displacement, and severe humanitarian challenges across Central Equatoria State.
“While cattle are a great source of economic wealth, they have also become a major source of instability and insecurity in Central Equatoria State simply because, as leaders, we have not managed them well,” Governor Jadalla stated.
The conference aimed to create a peaceful and supportive environment for cattle herders to return to their areas of origin in Bor County in Jonglei State and Terekeka County in Central Equatoria State, allowing farmers in Central Equatoria to rebuild their lives and foster social cohesion and economic recovery.
The governor also noted the need to address the practices of other cattle herders such as the Ambororo whose grazing habits, while peaceful, contribute to soil degradation, complicating agricultural productivity for local farmers.
He reminded attendees of the 2017 Republican Order by President Salva Kiir which directed cattle herders to return to their places of origin. However, Jadalla pointed out that this directive remains largely unimplemented as cattle continue to return to Central Equatoria State despite prior efforts to relocate them.
“In 2018, as governor of Jubek State, we successfully escorted thousands of cattle back to Bahr al-Ghazal with military assistance but the cattle returned in lorries soon after,” he recounted, highlighting the difficulties in enforcing the presidential order.
The governor added that the current presence of cattle from other regions has led to a “dire humanitarian crisis marked by food insecurity, malnutrition, and the spread of diseases.”
He emphasized the tragic impact on civilians, especially in areas like Juba, Kajo keji, Yei, and Morobo, and urged all stakeholders to commit to “realistic solutions” and prioritize implementing the 2017 Presidential Order fully.
“Once this order is implemented in letter and spirit, it can solve these issues,” he stated, calling for accelerated efforts to restore stability in the Green Belt region.
Gabriel Malual, the Jonglei State Minister of Peacebuilding, offered insight into the factors driving cattle herders from Jonglei State to Equatoria.
He acknowledged the presence of cattle from Jonglei State in Central, Eastern, and Western Equatoria and traced their long-standing presence in the region back to the era of the liberation struggle. He, however, noted that the current conflicts linked to cattle migration started after independence.
“Flooding has overwhelmed Jonglei State and many people are now living on islands with no dry land left,” he said, stressing that despite government efforts, people have been compelled to relocate.
Malual also cited inter-tribal violence, especially clashes with the Murle tribe, as another factor driving cattle herders out of Jonglei, along with political instability from the 2014 civil conflicts, during which many herders fled and have yet to return to their homes. Malual attributed the intensity of these conflicts to the lack of rule of law and the widespread arming of both communities.
The Jonglei minister urged the national government to develop policies regulating livestock movement, including measures for cattle welfare, health monitoring, and disease control to prevent outbreaks affecting both livestock and humans.
“For example, cattle rearing in Bor is nearly impossible due to an as-yet-unidentified disease. Addressing livestock health could save animals and prevent human health risks,” he added.
A policy framework on interstate cattle migration could help reduce farmer-herder tensions and foster peaceful coexistence, Malual stressed.
“Dialogue is the best way to address challenges because resorting to violence only harms ourselves without providing real solutions,” he stated.
Pitia Moses, a project coordinator with the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), said there is a need for peaceful coexistence and the enforcement of presidential decrees on cattle removal from Equatoria.
He suggested that governments in Jonglei and Central Equatoria form committees to address grievances, particularly in conflict-prone areas like Kajo keji, Lainya, and Eastern Equatoria.
Pitia also highlighted arms proliferation as a contributing factor to ongoing violence among communities from Jonglei and their neighbors and appealed to donors to support flood control measures such as dikes in areas like Jonglei and Terekeka and the establishment of reservoirs in drier regions, which will mitigate cattle migration and inter-communal conflict.