Upper Nile State Migration Conference Held at the South
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Maban County Migration Conference held in Bunj, Upper Nile, South Sudan on 12 to 14 June 2012 REPORT Introduction This is a report of a Cross-Border Migration Conference held at the Bankuman Primary School in Bunj, Upper Nile from 12-14 June 2012, arranged by Concordis International and funded by the European Union. Background Maban County borders four counties in Upper Nile State, Renk County to the North, Melut and Baliet County to the West, and Longechuk County to the South. Blue Nile state of the Republic of Sudan borders the County to the East. Maban County possesses huge grazing land and water for livestock. Fellata pastoralists from Blue Nile state annually migrate into the county to graze their cattle on these pastures and water during dry season. During the current dry season beginning in December 2011, four clans of the nomadic Fellata tribe have migrated into the County. Since late 2011 fighting in Blue Nile state has caused a large number of refugees to enter the county. There are currently three refugee camps in Maban County with an estimated total of 100,000 refugees. Concordis organized the conference in response to local concerns about relations between the Fellata pastoralists, the host communities and the refugee populations. In the past the local Maban communities and the Fellata pastoralists have coexisted peacefully with periodic incidents such as fighting, problems between the pastoralists and farmers over grazing area and competition over resources. Both communities expressed a desire to create a mechanism for dealing with these incidents and strengthen relations between the groups. Now with the continued influx of refugees into the area it is anticipated that tensions may rise over limited resources. Additionally the fighting in Blue Nile state and internationalization of the border have created new conditions which have not existed before and will affect the traditional movement of pastoralists. South Sudan‘s independence on 9 July 2011 has heightened suspicion and fear, which is now an aspect of the relationship between northern pastoralists and host communities. Pastoralists fear they will not be given access to traditional grazing lands, that they will be harassed by security forces and that they will not be protected by South Sudan law enforcement agencies. South Sudanese indigenous populations fear attacks if pastoralists carry weapons and there is concern about the pastoralists’ impact on the environment through killing of wild animals and cutting down and burning trees. Some fear that pastoralists are acting on behalf of the Government of Sudan in obtaining information about South Sudan. There is a lack of understanding of the positive impact that pastoralists have within the South Sudanese economy and suspicion of the way of life of pastoralists. The internationalization of the North-South border and lack of agreement on post-separation issues between the two countries has resulted in (partial) closure of the border to trade and This document was produced with financial assistance from the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of Concordis International and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union. movement. The militarization of the border by both Governments has intensified these problems, creating threats to the security of people in the border areas. Insurgencies on both sides of the border have made the areas even less secure and caused tensions between cross-border communities who may be perceived to be aligned with one side or another. Conflict could easily break out due to these tensions, particularly during the pastoralists’ migration back to Sudan. Purpose of the conference The purpose the conference was to bring together Sudanese pastoralists who migrate into Maban County, officials and community representatives from the county and leaders of refugee populations from Blue Nile currently in camps to discuss challenges to peace and stability in the county and agree upon solutions for these issues including the migration of pastoralists into the county. Plans for implementation and follow up of these solutions and agreement were also developed. The conference had the additional purposes of enabling participants to gain increased understanding of conflict and conflict management and to provide information concerning agreements relating to the border between Sudan and South Sudan. The intended outcome of the conference was enhancement of the conditions necessary for peaceful co-existence within Maban county between cross-border populations. Conference participants Conference participants were drawn from the Fellata tribes currently in Maban (Wela, Gamba and Ambororo clans and the Paramount Chief representing nine Fellata clans), representatives from each payam of Maban county and representatives of the Blue Nile communities in the refugee camps in Maban (Gabanit, Agedi, Jego and Uduk). All 5 payams of Maban County were represented by a head chief and a women’s representative. Local officials from Bunj also attended including the RRC representative, a representative from the SPLA and SSPS and the Paramount Chief of the County. Facilitation of the conference The Conference was organized by Concordis International in collaboration with the local authorities including the County Commissioner and the County RRC representative. Facilitation during the conference was carried out by Gatkuoth Kai Bol, Concordis Programme Coordinator and Jimmy Okumu, Concordis Deputy County Director. UNMISS provided transportation for Concordis staff. Conference proceedings The three day conference had 9 sections: 1. Opening sessions - Background to Concordis International’s Cross- Border Project - Speech by the County Commissioner 2. Understanding conflict and conflict management 3. Plenary discussion 4. Presentation of high and local level cross-border agreements 5. Discussion in working groups (see Annex for details) 6. Drafting of an agreement in a working group 7. Presentation of the draft to the participants for comments 2 8. Signing of the final agreement 9. Closing Opening Gatkuoth Kai Bol Concordis Staff introduced himself as the facilitator for the event. He requested participants to introduce them, their areas, roles and the group to which they belong. This was immediately followed by prayers led by both a representative from Muslim and Christian leaders. Concordis Country Director for South Sudan, Mandy Gardner introduced Concordis International as an impartial and independent organization working in the South Sudan and Sudan border areas. She outlined the objectives of the cross-border conflict prevention and peacebuilding project and activities, including the series of county migration dialogues currently undertaken in Upper Nile state. Then the RRC representative welcomed the Maban County Commissioner to the Conference and invited him to give a speech to the participants. The County Commissioner welcomed all the participants to the Peace Conference and the Fellata and refugee representatives to Maban county. He stated that all the people present are part of the Maban community. The Fellata have always had a good relationship with the people of Maban and the farmers when they come during the grazing season. Many of the Fellata were born in Maban and they are party of the County. Sometimes there have been problems between the communities but they have always found a way to solve them. The Fellata need to understand that now South Sudan is independent. However, they will be allowed to enter the county and graze their cattle as they have for many years. The Commissioner stated that these conferences are very helpful to reduce community tensions which may exist between Fellata and the indigenous population of Maban. Any problems should be solved peacefully and he hoped the conference would give them the skills to solve conflict. To the refugees from Blue Nile, the Commissioner said that they were also part of the community and they are always welcome in the County. Gatkuoth Kai Bol from Concordis International read the objectives of the conference as follows: that the conference will facilitate dialogue aimied at creating a culture of communication and consensus, leading to confidence-building and improved interpersonal understanding among the border communities to enhance peaceful coexistence. He went further to say that the conference aims to help the participants better understand conflict and develop skills for conflict management. The conference will also facilitate information dissemination to ensure that the target groups are aware of agreed local agreements and resolutions reached at state and the high level peace negotiations. Understanding Conflict and Management Jimmy gave an interactive session on understanding conflict, conflict management and non- violent approaches to conflict. He provided an example of a boy who has received a mango and decides to hide it. When he discovers his sister has stolen the mango they begin fighting and both of them are hurt. The mother intervened and she learned that the son wanted the mango seed to plant outside their house and the sister wanted the mango to eat. Jimmy asked the participants why this conflict had started and the participants replied that if they had communicated and used non-violence neither of the children would have been hurt. 3 Jimmy then described that people receive information differently and interpret them differently. The information you receive might be true or not be