[The New Sudan Council of Churches Executive Committee has released the following report on the People-to-People peace process, the Wunlit Dinka-Nuer Conference, and the follow-up to Wunlit. Regards, SI Administrator] ______________________ RELEASE FROM NSCC nscc-nbo@maf.org For More Information Contact the NSCC Peace Desk 254-2-446966 or 448141/2 People-to-People Peace January-June 1999 NSCC Executive Committee Report Biblical Text: "In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace." Luke 1: 78-79 Mission Statement: To challenge, mobilize, and facilitate community-based and faith-empowered reconciliation of the Sudanese people. Executive Summary: The NSCC has facilitated an historic peace conference and is managing a People-to-People peace process that has literally stunned the political world, both in Sudan and in foreign capitals. A conference held in Wunlit, Bahr el Ghazal that involved approximately 300 official delegates, was the highlight of a process that had been quietly underway for nearly two years. The Wunlit Covenant declared an end to seven and a half years of conflict between Dinka and Nuer people on the West Bank of the Nile River. The implementation of that Covenant has been quick and extensive on the ground. Thousands of Dinka and Nuer have welcomed each other into shared toich grazing areas and fishing sites, reestablished trade and commerce, and erased a "no-man's land" along their borders. They have assisted each other and welcomed newly displaced people during a new phase of military action as the GOS and UDSF/SSDF have gone to war around the oil fields in Western Upper Nile. The desire for reconciliation across the south has become a people's movement for peace that is difficult for NSCC, the political movements, or the outside world to fully grasp. Small but very significant beginnings of this work were seen in June 1998 when twenty Dinka and Nuer border chiefs and church leaders signed the Nuer-Dinka Loki Accord following a nine-day peace conference facilitated by NSCC. As a result, this major movement is now drawing world attention to NSCC and placing extensive demands on the organization that will remain a major challenge in the coming months. The following brief report will summarize the recent developments and the anticipated events for the rest of 1999. Wunlit Dinka-Nuer Peace Conference: This Conference, held from 27 February - 8 March 1999, is now well known. The documents of the conference, including the Covenant, Resolutions, Signed Commitments, Peace Council Minutes, and Appendices are available through the Peace Desk of NSCC. For the international community most of the documents as well as pictures are available on the internet at the World Wide Web site of Sudan Infonet at http://members.tripod.com/~SudanInfonet. There were over three hundred signatories to the Wunlit Covenant who came as delegates from Bahr el Ghazal and Western Upper Nile. Ninety-four chiefs and fifty-two women signed the Covenant. When local workers and security for the conference were added to the delegate number the community numbered an estimated 1,200 -- 1,500 people. The Conference lasted ten days, included Christian worship at the beginning and end of each day, and was sealed with both Christian worship and traditional sacrifice. The Conference was preceded with a Chiefs Exchange visit. This allowed Nuer and Dinka chiefs, church and community leaders to visit each other's areas, discuss the difficult issue of security arrangements, and see the conference site that had been built over a three month period of time by the youth of Bahr el Ghazal. The cost of the conference was extensive, the logistics were difficult, and the political dynamics were sensitive. Nevertheless NSCC accomplished its mission and the people made their peace. Post-Wunlit Developments: People-to-People Initiatives: Dinka and Nuer have taken the initiative to make the peace a reality on the ground using traditional means. Thousands of Dinka and Nuer have visited each other's areas. Chiefs, spiritual leaders and elders have led the people in reenactments of the sacrifice of bulls as the sealing of the Wunlit Covenant in numerous locations. This has included the toich grazing areas, fishing sites, and hold places. Commerce has been reestablished. Local initiatives, such as in Tonj County, have included the forming of assessment teams to see the needs of displaced people from the fighting with the GOS in Western Upper Nile. These teams have helped the communities welcome the displaced into the communities and provide information for UN and NGO assistance. Follow-up Conferences: *** Loki Briefing: Immediately following Wunlit the Rapporteur Team briefed the Sudanese, UN and NGO community of Loki. *** Nairobi Briefing: Delegates, facilitators and Rapporteurs from Wunlit held a public briefing of the whole Sudanese community in Nairobi at the Methodist Guest House. *** Women's Conference: In June 1999 a Women's Conference of Dinka and Nuer women met in Loki and issued their own resolutions for reconciliation, including endorsements of the Wunlit Resolutions. *** A UN and NGO Conference in Mapel, northern Bahr el Ghazal, endorsed the Wunlit Covenant and Resolutions. A Famine Early Warning System (FEWS) report has recognized the impact of Wunlit and the resulting sharing of toich grazing areas as a significant factor in mitigating famine for the coming months. *** The NSCC General Assembly, meeting in Wulu, Bahr el Ghazal, during May reaffirmed the strategic importance of the People-to-People peace process and the critical facilitating role of NSCC in expanding this to all of southern Sudan. The Assembly also endorsed the Wunlit Covenant and Resolutions. Political/Military Situation in Western Upper Nile: *** Within weeks after Wunlit the GOS moved militarily against the UDSF/SSDF in Western Upper Nile in an oil fields offensive. This has helped cement the reconciliation of Dinka and Nuer and moved the two movements toward a cooperating arrangement on the ground. *** The UN/WFP has done an assessment in the field and found that thousands of people have been displaced by the oil fields offensive bringing new suffering to the war weary people. However, this has also shown the strength of the Wunlit Covenant as the communities are cooperating with each other in care for the displaced. *** The forces of Paulino Matiep continue to be aligned with the GOS and active participants in the oil fields offensive. This is a significant section of Nuer who are remaining outside of the peace process at this time and causing significant Nuer-Nuer and south-south conflict. Peace Council Empowerment: *** Plans are being made for an emergency meeting of the Dinka-Nuer West Bank Peace Council in July or August. There is a need to empower the Council to facilitate the stressful developments with the displaced, press forward with the resolutions, and identify priorities that can guide the involvement of NGOs and UN. *** A key component of empowerment will be the placement of the first five HF radios to assist in monitoring the border areas and building a cross-border Dinka-Nuer communication system that is also connected to NSCC. East Bank Expansion: Wunlit Resolutions call for extending the peace to the East among Nilotics, among Equatorians, and between one another. Extensive tensions and conflicts on the East Bank among Nuer have been agitated by the GOS and must be countered by the reconciliation work prior to the Dinka-Nuer and other Nilotics conference on the East. *** Lou Nuer -- Gawaar Nuer Conference: Plans for this conference are underway for a People-to-People Conference in Central Nuerland with delegates from the Gawaar Nuer and from the Lou Nuer of Gun section. It is anticipated that this will be held in August. Mr. Billy Mar has been contracted as Conference Site Organizer for the Nuer-Nuer conferences. *** Lou -- Lou Nuer Peace Mission: In June an NSCC led peace team composed of people from both SPLM/A and UDSF/SSDF went to Waat and Akobo to meet with the local people and mediate the conflicts that had arisen between the different governance groups among the Lou section of Nuer. This team was led by Rev. Matthew Mathiang Deang, NSCC peace mobilizer and Mr. John Luk, a Rapporteur at Wunlit. The team and community endured without casualties four bombing attacks from the Government of Sudan in one day. Continued facilitation of this reconciliation will include additional peace missions to work with leaders and a Governance Conference later in October or November. *** Dinka-Nuer-Nilotic: This East Bank Nilotic Conference is being planned for late January and February of 2000. Preliminary mobilization and planning is already underway and teams are being formed for this extension of the Wunlit process into the East. *** Eastern Equatoria: NSCC has been requested to become involved soon in assessing the needs of reconciliation in Eastern Equatoria and to build a plan for this process based on the assessment. Diaspora Briefing: Funds have been provided for a briefing of the Sudanese in the Diaspora in Germany, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. This is scheduled for the month of July. Dr. Peter Nyot Kok and Dr. Michael Wal Duany will do the briefings of the Sudanese communities, NGOs and governmental officials. Funding and Reporting: Funding and expenditure reports are now complete through the middle of April. This narrative and a financial report is currently being prepared and will be sent to all donors to the peace process. NSCC Organizational Capacity: *** Office Development: A new People-to-People Peace Desk office is now operating in the NSCC office suite in Nairobi. This includes space for a secretary, field staff who are visiting Nairobi, and the Desk Facilitator. *** Peace Desk Facilitator: The growing demands of this work have required the appointment of a Peace Desk Facilitator who can give oversight and direction to staff and coordinate the expanding work. Mr. Telar Deng has been appointed to that position. Mr. Telar Deng was involved in the Loki Conference in 1998, served as the Bahr el Ghazal Peace Mobilizer, and was involved in the Wunlit Management Team. *** Staffing: For Wunlit, NSCC had several short-term contracted staff members. They were Rev. Matthew Mathiang Deang (Upper Nile mobilizer); Mr. Telar Deng (Bahr el Ghazal mobilizer); Mr. Mario Muor Muor (Conference Site Organizer); Mr. Timothy Tut and Mr. Billy Mar (Liaisons with the Movements). In addition the Presbyterian Church of Sudan and Presbyterian Church (USA) seconded Ms. Caroline Kurtz to NSCC for seven months to assist with administration and logistics and the Church of the Brethren sent Revs. Phil and Louie Reiman to assist for two months. Now NSCC is building the staff team for the continued work. Rev. Deang is continuing with the Upper Nile and Mr. Mar is the Site Organizer for the East. Additional mobilizers will be added as funds are available and the process continues. *** Consulting Facilitator: Dr. William Lowrey has served as the Consulting Peace Facilitator since the beginning of the People-to-People process. For Wunlit, he was funded by the Presbyterian Church (USA) and loaned to NSCC. Now he has received commitments from private funders in the United States and will continue on loan to NSCC for at least the next year. *** Equipment: An organizational capacity building process is underway to ramp up the Peace Desk office with the necessary equipment for this major work. Funding is being sought for computers, email system, field radios, and an upgraded HF radio for the whole NSCC communication system. Additionally the Peace Desk Facilitator has been charged with responsibility to pursue the license of NSCC with a new radio channel. Report Approved and Endorsed by the NSCC Executive Committee 30 June 1999 Methodist Guest House Nairobi, Kenya - - - - - - - - - - - Distributed by Sudan Infonet An Information Service of the Sudan Working Group--USA SudanInfonet@compuserve.com Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/~SudanInfonet/ 7/1/99