The Lopit and Toposa communities have converged at Imehejek, Lafon County headquarters in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state for a peace and reconciliation dialogue that started on Tuesday.
The two communities from Kapoeta North and Lafon counties have traded accusations over cattle raids that have led to the loss of lives and property for years.
The chairperson of the Lopit community, Ambrose Oyet Albino, told Radio Tamazuj that the dialogue is important to mend relations and end suspicion between the two cattle-keeping communities.
“Peace between Lopit and Toposa is very important for peaceful coexistence and freedom amongst the two communities so that they can communicate with one another because Toposa usually come during the dry season to us to look for water and pasture and that is why we need coexistence," he stressed.
Although he denied any organized conflict between the two communities, Oyet acknowledged that clashes over cattle raids frequently occur.
Meanwhile, Kapoeta North county commissioner Ephone Emmanuel Lolimo says the peace between the two communities will allow free movement and trade.
“We have come here for a peace caravan with the communities of Lopit. Yesterday (Monday) we were in Lohutok and we met the communities there and this morning we passed through Ibahure and we left the message there about the meeting and right now we are in Imehejek on the peace dialogue for the two communities. We will also discuss the issue of education, if the road is open there will be opportunity from both sides to have access to education then they also encourage intermarriages to allow people to live peacefully," he said.
Eastern Equatoria state information minister Patrick Oting Cyprian says the government is working hard with the religious leaders to bring peace to the local communities.
“These are the interchurch council or ICC who organized this dialogue and also we the government came to add our support to it for this peace to prevail so that these communities coexist," he said. “As a government, we need peace because without peace nothing will succeed."
The dialogue organized by the Inter-Church Council is expected to end on Thursday.