Background

The Sudan has been in a devastating civil war for the last forty-three years, with a ten-year period of relative peace between 1972 - 1983. Since the on-going civil war begun, more than fifteen (15) years ago, it has caused immense destruction and suffering to the people of the southern Sudan. It is estimated that well over 1.3 million people have died directly or indirectly of the war-related factors. Furthermore, as many as 4.5 million southern Sudanese are believed to have been internally displaced. They live either in the northern Sudan or southern Sudan itself in a refugee-like situation. Another significant number of southern Sudanese is the Diaspora, living in the neighbouring countries and elsewhere in the other parts of the World.

The main dynamic of the Sudan's war are inter and intra-ethnic conflicts, which have emerged clearly in the past few years. There has been intra-conflict amongst the Nuer themselves. For example, 1991 - 1993 Lou and Jikany fought, which claimed many human lives and property. Fighting is also being reported in 1998 between Lou and Gawaar and other sections of Nuer. Similarly, the Dinka’s have fought each other. Whilst the intra-ethnic conflict has devastated the two communities, the inter-ethnic conflict between the Dinka and Nuer from the East and West Banks of the Nile has been described as the worst and bloodiest fight between the Nuer and Dinka in their history. Since 1991 a series of devastating fights and counter-fights have had occurred between the two communities, among others were raid in Ayod, 1991, Kongor and Bor area massacre, 1991, raids on Akot and Tonj and Ganyliel massacre at times starting, 1992 to 1995/96.

Dinka and Nuer have always been neighbours. They are found on both the West and East banks of the River Nile, and they share the main characteristics – they are Nilotics and Pastoralists and of the same ethnic base. Historically, the two communities have fought each other over the grazing areas and water. Cattle raiding has been common but women and children were not targets, as it is the case now. These disputes used to be solved by traditional leaders through traditional mechanism, and the impacts of such fights were limited.

This phenomenon has changed dramatically since the current war resumed in 1983. The ethnic violence has increased especially amongst the Nuer and the Dinka. The weapons used in the current fights are modern arms instead of spears, bows, arrows and sticks. As a result children and women are killed or abducted, villages burnt, property looted, crops destroyed, cattle raided, and many civilians displaced from their homes. The split in the SPLM/A ranks exacerbated this in 1991, where the conflict took a pattern of inter-factional as well as inter-tribal disputes. In the midst of this confusion, the Church in the Sudan through it’s Council, NSCC, has been mandated to make Peace and reconcile the different groups in Southern Sudan at all levels. Both SPLM/A and UDSF leaderships have approved this mandate. The mandate is contained in different documents, among others, NSCC Document "Here We Stand United for Peace" September 1996, NSCC/SPLM Dialogue, July 1997 and NSCC/AACC Church Councils’ Meeting, April 1998.

Mr. Mario Muor Muor is the Chief Supervisor of the Conference organization. He has already traveled to Tonj County to make necessary mobilization, he has been joined by Mr. Telar Deng who both will make arrangements with the local authorities, security personnel in the area. The team will also assess the situation on the ground, which will determine the location where the conference will be held. The team travelling to the Nuer land had already made their trip in Nyal, Ganyglel and Leer for the preparation of the conference.

The local contributions will be on three main areas: organization of the conference, manpower to construct the site of the conference (300 – 350).

1. Construction

The local authorities and chiefs have already established committees especially those in Rumbek. The main function of the committee is not only to brief the people on the recent peace initiatives, but also, they will be used as the conference’s organizers.

The chiefs and local authorities will be requested to provide the manpower to construct the site of the conference. Between 300 – 350 people are needed to construct the site and their main activities will include cutting of grass and poles for the building of the following:-

• Meeting Hall
• Dormitories
• Kitchens
• Latrines
• Showers
• Individual Tukuls
• Dining areas
• Health Centres

The work has already began in early October especially the cutting of grass and poles. The local authorities will provide more men. The members of the organizing committee will supervise the workers.

1. Meat

The Coordinating Committee has written an official letter to both Movements to contribute towards the cost of the Conference, and they would do so by providing cattle for the conference. Both Chiefs from the Dinka and Nuer have agreed to provide cows for the conference. However, a contingent budget has been budgeted for buying few cows as precautionary measures just in case the cows which will be supplied by local authorities would not be enough.

 Project Goal

Organize Peace and Reconciliation Conference between Nuer - Dinka to be held at Tonj County early, 1999.

 Project Justification

Recently, NSCC's Justice and Peace Desk organized a Consultative Peace Workshop, which brought both Dinka and Nuer paramount Chiefs and Church Leaders together for the first time since the split occurred in the ranks of SPLM/A in 1991. In the Consultative workshop, the Chiefs and Church Leaders came up with a number of resolutions (see the attached Accord). They agreed to hold a series of meetings throughout all communities in the East and West Banks of the River Nile to pursue all possible means towards a just and lasting peace in the land of Dinka and Nuer. The Chiefs and Church Leaders have proposed a conference to be held early 1999, for the West Bank of the Nile, and another similar conference will be organized at a later stage in the East Bank of the Nile. The technical committees have been set both in Nairobi and inside Southern Sudan to coordinate the preparation for the forth-coming conference.

 Objectives

• Organize Peace Conference between Nuer – Dinka
• Seal Peace Convent between Nuer _ Dinka which was began in Loki, 1998
• Promote and strengthen Peace and Reconciliation activities between the two ethnic groups
• Re-inforce traditional and Christian mechanism for peace making and conflict resolution
• Form concrete strategies for peace making between Nuer - Dinka

 Implementation

Two technical committees have been formed. One in Nairobi and the other in Southern Sudan.

The committee in Nairobi is formed from the Representatives of both SPLM/A, UDSF (former SSIM/A), Presbyterian Church of the Sudan (PCOS), Episcopal Church of the Sudan (ECS), Southern Sudan Law Society (SSLS), Youth and Women Groups both from the West and East of the River Nile, and New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC). This committee works under the umbrella of the NSCC, and its overall responsibility is to facilitate the organization of the forth-coming Nuer – Dinka conference 1999. This committee will also visit several areas in both banks of the Nile to oversee, coordinate and brief people on the process of peace making in these areas. Rev. Mathew Mathiang, will head the technical committee on the Nuer side both on the East and West, while Telar Deng and Mario Muor Muor will travel to Bahr el Ghazal region. NSCC’s Justice and Peace Facilitator will also support these groups.

 Incentives

The workers will not be paid in cash, but the organizing committee has agreed that they would be given second hand clothes and food items to the workers. It is also decided that because the whole of Bahr el Ghazal has been badly affected by the severe hunger, food would be provided to the workers while they are working on the site of construction (see the attached budget). The period of the construction is estimated to be two months.

 NGOs

A number of NGOs have been briefed about the forth-coming conference and they have also been approached to assist in the organization of the conference – this includes, World Vision International (WVI) which is one of the operational NGOs on the proposed location for the conference. In principle, it has agreed to provide storage of the conference’s items, transport, and assessment of water for drilling in the area. Meetings have been held between the NSCC and World Vision International. The NSCC on behalf of the Coordinating Committee has requested WVI to facilitate the organization of the conference in the following areas..

• Logistics on the ground
• Use some of the facilities of WVI during the conference (chairs/tables)
• Water

Water is still a problem in the proposed site. That is why two members of the coordinating committee have traveled to Tonj to assess the water situation. Their report will finally determine the site of the conference in Tonj County. Wherever the conference is going to be, a number of wells may need to be dug. This is an area the committee will discuss further with the WVI and ICRC when the location is identified. The budget for drilling of wells is not reflected here, but once the water assessment report is out a supplementary budget for water project will be developed. This is another are that WVI will assist the organizing committee. Other NGOs approached included, CRS, L&PI, OLS and Christian Aid, which all expressed interest to assist in one way or the other

 Targeted Groups

Between 600 – 800 people are expected to be invited but it is believed that the total number that will come will be much larger. Those to be invited include: - governors, commissioners, local authority officials, and opinion leaders, Church leaders, chiefs, youth and women groups. In addition to the official participants a conference of this nature will attract hundreds and possibly several thousand citizens of the Dinka and Nuer communities. The community people come out of their deep concern for peace and to support the official participants in the process of peacemaking. The number of total attendees may reach 2500-5000.

 SUMMARY OF THE BUDGET