Peace Canal, in partnership with the Peacebuilding Opportunities Fund and the Peacebuilding Ministry in Lakes State on Monday concluded a five-day cattle pre-migration dialogue in Rumbek North County.
The dialogue culminated in an agreement by the Pakam community to return to their ancestral homes in Maper, Rumbek North County.
Sultan Manyiel Lieny, the Executive Chief of Alor Payam in Rumbek North County, stated that it was agreed that people should not die because of internal conflicts but rather unite. He proposed stringent punishment for errant community members.
“We want thieves to be amputated; this is a law we want as a community. A woman found brewing alcohol has to be apprehended and taken to court and must face a jail sentence of six months without bail so that the issue of alcohol is stopped,” he said. “We have resolved that there is no one who will talk about different things starting from today. We surrendered everything today to God and we want to return to our ancestral homes in Maper.”
“We were peaceful when we were in Maper and never had such issues,” Sultan Manyiel added.
Acknowledging the challenges posed by drought and food shortages in Maper, the chief appealed to the government to assist with boreholes and food aid.
For his part, Rumbek North County Commissioner Lt. Col. Samuel Mabor Deng underscored the importance of pre-migration dialogues, emphasizing their role in addressing cattle thefts, alcoholism, and misunderstandings with neighboring communities.
“As the commissioner, my role is to implement government policy, watch for early warning signs and mitigate conflict. I also have to implement the resolutions of this meeting to ensure peace among the communities,” he said. “I also appeal to the communities to approach government officials instead of resorting to violence to resolve their differences.”
“We do not want, confusion, criminal activities, and killings,” Lt. Col. Mabor added.
Meanwhile, Peace Canal’s coordinator in the greater Rumbek area, Gordon Majuec Ayen, highlighted the key agenda items discussed during the five pre-migration dialogues, including cattle thefts, alcoholism, gender-based violence, peaceful coexistence, and access to shared resources.
“The community has agreed that cattle thefts must stop by all means with efforts from the government, youth leaders, women, chiefs, and county commissioners,” he said. ”
Additionally, Majuec mentioned that the communities of Rup, Kuei, and Pakam requested a dialogue to address cattle theft along their common borders.
Paramount Chief Mathiang Ater Chirgol-naam of the Pakam community reaffirmed his commitment to apprehending cattle thieves and addressing the root causes of community conflicts.
“Cattle thieves are the cause of community conflicts in Lakes State,” he stated.