A five-day peace conference between Dinka Malual and Misseriya communities commenced on Monday in South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal State.
More than 70 participants from the communities are attending the conference at Grand Hotel in Aweil town.
“The conference has started between Dinka Malual and Misseriya to discuss related matters and development. Both communities have conferred and now Ngok Dinka have arrived to be witnesses in the conference so that they will take the situation Dinka Malual and Misseriya are in,’’ said Deng Deng Akuei, a member of the Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Peace and Reconciliation Commission.
The communities according to the peace commission, will discuss murder cases including the killing of four Dinka Malual girls last year, the killing of two soldiers from Dinka Malual in July 2020, and the recent murder of a Sudanese trader last week.
A representative of the Misseriya community Ibrahim Marek Satur said at least six members of their communities were slain by Dinka Malual. He however confirmed that they had paid blood compensation for three dead and two wounded to the Dinka Malual border peace committee.
“Truly, we came to this conference to review the peace constitution and peaceful coexistence so that we will empower peace relations between Dinka Malual and Misseriya. Yes, there are outstanding issues and Dinka Malual and Misseriya are patient and in attendance. We hope to resolve those issues,’’ said Marek.
For his part, Garang Rual Deng, a Dinka Malual representative claimed that four of their women have been missing since last year and their whereabouts have not been known.
“I am telling them to pay compensation for the women. We never got the women since last year. My message to them is to search for the women, if they are dead, blood compensations must be paid and if they are alive, they must be returned,’’ said Rual.
Ngok Dinka members attending the conference said they came as witnesses between the two border communities to support peace and unity among the communities.
Paramount Chief Belabek Deng of the Ngok Dinka said, "We have attended this conference as monitors because we are not concerned to sit in the sessions but we accepted the invitation from the government of Northern Bahr el Ghazal and partners.’’