Dinka-Nuer Reconciliation Conference
Washington, DC
12 - 13 January, 2002

Notes by Bill Lowrey

Introduction and Opening:

Location:
Washington DC Church of the Brethren
337 North Caroline Avenue, SE
Washington, D.C. 20003

Moderator:
Charles Abyei Kon, Dinka Co-Chair of Planning Committee

Greg Davidson Laszakovits, Church of the Brethren, Director of Advocacy Office
Excited to have the conference here. We are a peace church who belong strongly in the gospel of peace that Jesus has given us. The COB has been involved strongly in Sudan and many know Roger and Carolyn Schrock and Phil and Louie Reiman who worked with the NSCC. People all over the COB in USA know of this meeting and are praying for you. Introduce Rev. Alice, Pastor of this congregation.

Rev. Alice Martin-Adkins
You are welcome, we add our prayers for peace. Pray with me.

Bill Lowrey
Recognition of donors, the Sudan Working Group, extend greetings from the NSCC and particularly Dr. Haruun Ruun, and give a brief history of the People-to-People peace process. Previous P2P peace documents are available for everyone from Loki, Wunlit, Waat, Liliir, Kisumu.

Donors Recognized:

Charles Abyei Kon - (see attachment C for full text) Need for Reconciliation
So many terrible problems have come from the fighting of Dinka and Nuer. It used to be the Nuer and Dinka would sit and resolve their problems. Now we are doing that again. What we are doing today can be done by a few but the benefit can go to many people. Today let us take it as a new day. Dinka and Nuer have the ability to bring peace in Sudan if we work together. The Dinka-Nuer conflicts must end. We need all the Dinka. We need all the Nuer. Wherever they are, whoever they are.

Why is it so difficult to resolve this conflict? It has been ten years now. Our social structures have been broken down. Those structures carried our values and our ability to find many solutions. This has made it difficult. We have needed our traditional structures to be strengthened and used. We can't replace them. That is what the NSCC has been doing with the process of Wunlit. And we thank the Sudan Working Group - Blessed are the Peacemakers-that is what they are.

Martin Mabil Kong - (see attachment D for full text) Building of the Unity
Mabil Kong was ill during morning session and came later and made his presentation.

Biel Torkech Rambang
I think the U.S. government who has supported us, to Church of Brethren who is hosting us, to the organizing committee who has done so much work to make this possible. Thanks go to Human Rights Watch and Jemera Rone. Charlie and I went to her to seek help for this effort. We thank the NSCC, Dr. Haruun Ruun and Telar Deng who support us in this work. Thank Presbyterian Church and Rev. Bill Lowrey and his work in helping with Dinka and Nuer problems and giving them a forum to help solve their own problems in their own way. When we sit as Dinka and Nuer in this room, even our children know that we are all brothers. I, as Nuer, cannot live without Dinka. And vice versa. The resources the Dinka and Nuer have in their hands; these are the tools for the solution. There is not a problem between the people. The problem is political. The war is a problem for all of us and what divides all of us is the political agendas. I was a part of that division. I fought for SPLA. My younger brother fought for Anya-nya II. Brothers, younger and older have fought against each other. We have lost a lot of lives killing ourselves. Original objective of SPLM was social transformation of whole Sudan, not by separate south. Some sought transformation of people from traditional life to modern life. In political life we can have many different beliefs. But we must also believe we are one people who then have different political views. The problem is that we have many self-declared leaders who say they are the constitution and have conflict with the people. So the people do not have problems with each other but the problems are with the political people. I am glad we are all here and as we dialogue we can find solutions. We need for all our people to do this in our own states.

Word of Encouragement from SPLA representative
Steven Wandu not present.

Word of Encouragement from SPDF representative Ezekiel Gatquoth
This conference is very important for us. We have tried this many times to bring us together. The position of the SPDF is that we are committed to this peace in the Diaspora and in southern Sudan. We endorsed Wunlit, Liliir, and especially Linkages II. The position is completely endorsing this as long as it is bringing us together. We have relayed this information to the leadership of our Movement. The SPDF will provide you with whatever you need in terms of security if you have conferences in areas controlled by SPDF.

Word of Encouragement from Sudan Working Group representative Jemera Rone of Human Rights Watch
Thank you very much. I have been studying and following Sudan for eight years now from 1993 when there was especially bitter fighting between Dinka and Nuer. I was very excited to hear from Bill Lowrey in 1998 about the Dinka and Nuer meeting in Loki under NSCC. I was especially excited to know of this beginning process of reconciliation after documenting so many terrible human rights violations between the groups. I still feel that way. I was very privileged to attend the Wunlit conference in 1999 and how it worked. How Nuer and Dinka stood and told each other all the bad things they had done to each other. Then they sat together to work in groups to decide how to resolve all these conflicts, return abducted women and children, work toward laws, courts, sharing pastures, resumption of trade, etc. Tomorrow I will show slides during lunch hour of pictures that were at Wunlit. It was a great encouragement for me for people to go forward, healing their pain, and make peace. I think this is the best thing that has happened in the south and Sudan in all the years I have been involved in documenting human rights violations. This year HRW named Dr. Haruun Ruun as a person to be recognized for his leadership in the People-to-People process. The people on the ground have lived up to their commitments. Unfortunately, the international community has not done its part in following up on the Wunlit resolutions. The end of this conflict between Dinka and Nuer is a model for all of Sudan to follow. I encourage you to take up this challenge of peacemaking and respect for human rights. The main beneficiary of the fighting has been the Government of Sudan. There is no doubt that the government has assisted in making the situation worse. I congratulate you for coming together today to live in the spirit of reconciliation, to extend the resolutions there, and to prod and push this process forward. It is now larger that Wunlit that the NSCC assists. There are many forces that oppose this. But there are many who support it and people on the ground benefit from the fruit of this peace. I will take pictures of you with your nametags to record who is participating in this important meeting.

Amy Hensen, USAID Sudan Task Force
Very thankful that I can be a part. I am a former of the SWG. My boss, Roger Winter, is in Sudan now with the Danforth mission. He sends his greetings. We encourage and support you. Sister Mary, Catholic Bishops - U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is very interested in what is happening in Sudan. I am new in this role. You are here to speed the process of reconciliation. This is a positive step. If you did not have this heart, you would not be here. Give yourself a strong clap. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops supports you and is ready to do what it can to help.

Dr. Francis Deng, Graduate Center of City University of NY and UN Special Rapporteur for Internally Displaced People
These are moving words. Why are we divided? I believe peace and harmony is the normal state among us. We desire to live together in harmony. Our task is to restore the harmony after a breakdown. In African jurisprudence you must restore harmony including the ritual calling on God and our ancestors to restore the relationships. When you fight with strangers you forget and go on. But when you fight with family it is very bitter. The Dinka and Nuer are one family. So the feud is bitter and it is very important to resolve. The Dinka and Nuer are not only large in number but they are on the borders with the North where the conflict rages. Only when a bundle of sticks come together can it be impossible to break. If we were together, this suffering from the north would not be possible to have done such suffering. But why do people fight, risk, and kill? The sense of respect, equality, dignity is very important among our people. If you feel like you have not been given recognition, it becomes a reason for conflict. We must stand in unity as people, as family, as clan, as tribe. If you insult one person you insult the family, the clan, the tribe. Also, there were political differences - the causes of what the war was about. Southerners feel that self-determination that leads to independence is preferred. This is an overwhelmingly agreed upon view. Personally, I have argued that there is a terrible distortion of reality, of northern views of superiority over southerners. We have many southern grandmothers who are in the closets of northerners. Eventually I hope that we will get back to a more proper perspective.

I give my understanding of what SPLM is all about. There is a bit of realism and pragmatism combined. No one will give you what you desire. You will only get it on battlefield. But let us unite with people in the north who have similar interests in transforming the country. But they do not want independence for the south. But if you work with them in liberating yourself and also in transforming the Sudan, then you can see what you want. These views of independence and of unity, of separation and transformation are valid views. So those with both views must talk together. O People, the Land is our Land. The cause of reconciliation must not be left to those at the top. It must take everyone. Secondly, we must feel a sense of optimism that the peace process is incremental and we don't know how important our part is. Recently, I was with President Carter. He said I know Francis because we work for many years. I said, yes but the measure of our success is that the war continues. But Carter said, but we never give up. Also, recently in conversation with Pres. Mandela, he said always look for the good in all and peace means there must not be a winner and a loser. We must find the common ground. Then we must spread the word. And God will win them over to be with us.

Break for Lunch


Agendas for Discussion

Women's experience in war:

Nyawang Fatuma Garbang Bilu (Bul Nuer considered representative of both Dinka and Nuer)
The background of the war in Sudan is known but it is good to talk about. Before and after independence, Sudan is a large country that has not enjoyed peace. The first war was 1955 to 1973 ending with Addis Ababa Accord. The second war with SPLA has been since 1983. It has cost so many lives. Many women and children have been abducted. I use that word as the meaning of slavery. We have lost our children, our families, our property, and our culture. When we came to America, we lost culture. Everywhere we go we leave something behind. Stress, fear, helplessness has happened. This Nuer-Dinka conflict, it is women and children who make up 85% of displaced and refugees. Most of us women come without our children. Men run away or are killed. We are all over without husbands. When we go for registration in USA and they ask, "Where is your husband?" and we have to say, "I don't know." There is no going back. We are refugees for life. We must bring together people who are in conflict so they can have relationships. Grass-roots peace is for women and children in villages. The intellectuals don't care, they really don't care, and they make war. Women don't benefit from that war. Maybe men think they benefit. You will never hear a woman say "that great war." No, we don't benefit…we suffer. When we went to Ethiopia we gave men a term of three years to do this fight. But now we are fighting tribes, we are fighting ourselves. We are fed up. Two million die in Sudan because of nonsense. We say, give us women the leadership and we can deal with the enemy. If it is us, we can solve that problem a long time ago. We will not fight, we can talk. I fought for SPLA, then for SPLA - United, then SSIA, and then I went to Khartoum. I do this for independence. I am Nuer by tribe. My in-laws are Dinka. I was in Bentiu when Dinka and Nuer fight. My own family on both sides and they fight a useless war. Today, we support no factional group here. We will think about these things and we will come out with something. Something happened in Nairobi in January with Riek Machar going to John Garang with SPLA. We will look. Some went back to SPLA and now they died. So forgiveness must be there. We must create a new peace…a new something…Dinka and Nuer together must forgive…we must open the problems and then we can solve them. Machar and Garang if they can come together…you here who are Dinka and Nuer are the ones who can stop this war.

Julia Aker Duany (considered representative of both Dinka and Nuer)
Nyawang has touched on much and left little for me to say. We women can be born as Nuer and end as Dinka or born as Dinka and end up a Nuer. We are the ones who should speak loudly, enough is enough. I want all of you to experience this because southern Sudanese have experienced. I want you to close your eyes and listen only to me. [Read a reading from Sudanese experience… "It was on edge of desert…refugees…no toilets so using plastic bags as toilets…bright relief bags made in USA, Canada, Netherlands. Sheep, donkeys, dogs searching for something to eat. Displaced camp…I imagined my own children in similar situation…tears rolling down my cheeks…tried to wipe them away…bowed head…recited serenity prayer…" When I share this with my own children from the garbage dump of my own county…my word is to now say thank you for those who make it possible…to people who donate funds…When we talk of conflict it is at the heart of the southern Sudanese woman…it is always with us. Peace is not for a person…it is for each and every one of us. Everything we do is peace…it is not absence of war but total way of life. Are you ready for peace…if you are ready you can't leave it in this room…you must take it with you everywhere you go. We cry when we hear the statistics. We are raising two generations with no education…4 million displaced and nobody blinks…2 million dead and nobody blinks. Cannot the statistics raise our brow and touch our hearts. We must all talk…to Nuer, Dinka, Anyua, and Shilluk. Today my message is experience the southern Sudanese women…we see our children starving…how can we run away from peace…it is our mission…our goal. My question to the women, "Are we ready to get our necklaces, our ear rings and support the peace? Even if men don't want to go, are we ready to give out for this peace." For Americans, are you going to stand with us, to be behind us? Don't give up. Don't give up. Let us not give up. Seek and you shall find. Let us seek peace and find peace.

Experience of Minors (Lost boys of Sudan)

Wal Deng, Nuer representative of Lost Boys
I am one of Lost Boys who came through Kakuma. We lived together in Ethiopia and Kenya. When we left Ethiopia in 1991 and 1992 we came to Kenya. We were ok as Lost Boys, we don't have problems. But when conflict between Dinka and Nuer and split occurred, we don't understand and it is tough on us. Before that happened we know this killing of elders, brothers, sisters this had never happened from our grandfathers. We love it very much that you can all sit here together and talk about peace. We love it that this reconciliation can get to this point. It agitates us so much that the children of one family kill ourselves and left our enemy behind. We, the Lost Boys have love among ourselves.

Abraham Chol, Dinka representative of Lost Boys
We left our lands in 1987 and went to Ethiopia. Politics is a dirty business. If you have two dogs in your home and throw a bone in your yard, then dogs fight for the bone. That is what happened to us. Politicians did this to us. Before, we did not know what we were fighting for. Now we are here and Dinka and Nuer are looking for peace. Sometimes our mouths are open but our hearts are very little. Politicians put little food in our mouth but our minds are small and we fight. Our hearts must now open to look for peace. If since 1991 we were fighting our enemies, we would not have to be here today. Since 1987, fifteen years we don't know where our parents are. Now we are here as working boys, 3000 boys, and without girls. How will we get married? Where are the girls who are looking for us? With peace they will find us. We are here in America and eating everyday. But some on frontlines in Sudan drink their own urine. Let us make the peace in our country. Thank you.

Presentations from the Nuer Community:

Dak Thong Chol, Chairman of Nuer Community in USA
On behalf of Nuer community in USA thank you for this historical conference. We support this reconciliation. The primary mission of the Nuer community is peacemaking and value formation. This can't happen without neighboring communities…and Dinka is our neighboring community. We must acknowledge that both the Government of Sudan and the factions in southern Sudan have used the people as human shields. It is challenge to all grass-roots communities…we must build confidence among ourselves. We hope all participants will extend the spirit of Washington peacemaking to all southern Sudanese communities.

Martin Mabil Kong, Nuer Co-Chair of Planning Committee (see Attachment D for full text)
I am coming to give my own words, not representative of others. I am sorry I missed the morning session because I was sick from working two nights through. Nuer is largest Sudanese community in USA. We are strong, good fighters. But we fall apart when two of our sons disagree over the struggle. When Dr. Riek Machar split with Dr. John Garang most of Nuer were with Riek and most of Dinka with Garang. We Nuer tried to have power to protect from GOS, from losing our freedom, from protecting our resources from being taken. We tried to use all means but with very little success…until miracle happened on January 6, 2002 with unity of Garang and Riek. But we need to build trust. I was on Nuer side with Dinka and Nuer fight. On other side were my friends from high school. I could not hate or fight with my Dinka friends from high school or hate my fellow Nuer. If we build friendships, how can we hate and fight. Also, it is important if we exchange marriage. If we are family, we don't kill our family. Let us be serious and send a positive message to our friends in Sudan.

Dak Thong Chol
I want to tell you Dinka brothers. Here in USA we Nuer have one Nuer community, we are one community. If Nuer says peace now, we mean peace, nothing is hidden. If we join hands we can deliver the peace back home. I am not only looking here in USA. We can go to Canada. We can go to Europe. If we have solutions we can go back to our states and show we are brothers.

Presentations from the Dinka Community

James Telar Bol
With Addis Ababa agreement, it said we have been lost people on the plains. Now you will find there are governments. AACC, WCC signed as witnesses. You Anya-nya must move as organized army…so Anya-nya II came out. Third part was at end of agreement was discovering when we think we have 75% something is wrong and an ambush is planned. So that was done. I am speaking as an elder. We have gone through this. But we Dinka and Nuer don't have such names. Our name is People. Naath in Nuer is People…Jieng in Dinka is People…so we are the one People. The peoples have developed from one another. [Explain history of various clans.] When take was put down and this was land of Nuer or land of Dinka, then still in the rivers the fish go across the lines. So Nuer come into Dinka land and say my fish came here so I have to come and get him. The British asked the Dinka, who is your father? Why? They want to know if we know our background or if we are lost. If we know ourselves it transfers to our origins and we know who is ours and what is ours. If you don't know who you are historically and culturally, then you can make no political claim. So the enemy wants to destroy us from within. When we come to North they try to divide us. But if we come united and stand behind a leader who says there are millions of people behind him, then it is different. They are looting our population and our resources. They look in our ground to get what they want. So our lands are with no people. I personally as an elder and as an educator, I can ask for forgiveness from the souls of all the innocent people who have died for our deeds. May they forgive us. And from here on…how do we save the few remaining one. It is our duty … no Nuer from now on … no Dinka from now on … we are the People. We the People have come to this agreement and we the People will do this work together. We will not be separated by a piece of paper. It is blood that unites us. We say when they come to separate us that no, it is we the People who stand together. We are Jieng…We are Naath. Now you young, the torch has been turned over to you. We will tell you your history and you can help clean it up.

Reuben Benjamin Lual
My history is from Waat as grandfather whose mother was Dinka like me. My sister is Julia, who is Nuer. I am from all of you. My Question to Dinka and Nuer, can anyone tell me why we are fighting among yourselves? One man stood and said, yes, it is because we are crazy. One said, because of the cow. One said because of the enemy. One said because we are politically ignorant. We are blind somewhere. Because of this conflict, so much has gone to the enemy. Even now we are made slaves. We have lost more lives from fighting with each other than with fighting with the enemy. We need to sit and have a question and ask a question. We must not allow the stranger to hit our heads. Let us ask in our resolutions to have the people who are with the government to step down.

Responses from Dinka and Nuer in Discussion with Each Other

Bol Diaw (Nuer)
This is a great effort to bring Dinka and Nuer together. I was involved in war in Anya-nya I. In 1975 we formed political group in Akobo as break away opposed to Addis Ababa agreement. We were misinformed because we had no means of communication and did not know what each group was saying. So we formed Anya-nya Patriotic Front to fight for independence of south. In Addis we were not allowed to go down and Ethiopian government was between us and the people in the field. If we love southern Sudan, we must love every member of southern Sudan. I am still convinced there will be no table conference that will bring solution with the north. Fortunately Garang came out. But then split came out. [Shared history of development of movement and role of outsiders in building in divisions and roots of conflict between Anya-nya II and SPLA.] Early SPLA under Garang killed Anya-nya II people and he was willing to fight his own brothers, the separatists, rather than the enemy. That was wrong, must not fight each other. Secondly, must practice forgiveness. When former Anya-nya II came to Itang they were not given forgiveness. If we talk today, we must deal with a few issues of people who were mistreated. How do we get this out of their minds? I was five years in prison in that jungle. We must be very frank that what happened was a mistake. SPLA failed to administrate its own people. If today we want to move … Dinka and Nuer are not the only SPLA. No we are all peoples of the south, up to the smallest tribes, even the Kachipo. We are trying now to begin to realize there were mistakes committed in the SPLA. So many have developed animosity against the SPLA. We had in our minds that if you kill my brother I would kill your brother. This thing is a curse on the southerners…not Dinka or Nuer but on all southerners. Let us be very serious and frank, we have to open a new chapter. Let us form a committee for a follow up, a constant follow up, for this peace and reconciliation conference. Let us select individuals from all the states, and move against those leaders who try to keep this on. Be united and stand for your right.

Oliver Tunda - Southern Sudanese Community Chairman, from Kaji-Keji
It is great to be here and see this. It is time for us to move it on. Let us hope that what Machar and Garang have signed can move forward and be built from the grass roots. There are also other ethnic groups in the south and we must move forward involving all. Sometimes it is hard to plead our case to the international community when we are fighting among ourselves.

Peter Lam Bangot (Nuer)
There are great people who make this a great day. Can we condemn what has happened so we don't go back again? Then we can go forward.

Rose Weet (Dinka)
If a Dinka boy is in Nebraska, he will need the help of Nuer because there are so many Nuer in Nebraska. Someday I want to go back to my homeland and die under my tree. I don't like this fancy life. I liked the simple life in Tonj. Then I used to say life was like in America. But when I came here it was not. Yesterday I asked a Somali, why are you fighting? Now today with us, I ask, why are we fighting? We are losing our children in the USA. Who will ever take these children back home? No one will. Will we help our country back in the villages? You, Nuer, you are our heroes. Will you make this peace? When I was a child I went to a peace between Dinka and Nuer and it was beautiful. Now we are educated and some have Ph.D.s. But will that bring peace. It is not Arabs, it is us. We are killing ourselves. Women today are kept away from politics. I tell you today we women are not going to stay away from politics any more. We are going to be like Hilary Clinton, she is my hero. We don't want the Lost Boys to be lost again!

Mary Both (Nuer)
If women say a word it will not be doubted. If we say yes today it will be yes tomorrow. If we say fight, we fight. If we say peace it will be peace. We are all uncles or cousins. I thank you, my People, for this beautiful day. We pray for the Spirit to bring the peace. I am a bus driver. Next time I may be president of something.

Gatkuoth Kuich (Nuer) Pastor of Cush Community Lutheran Church, Omaha, NE
People go before us and do a great job at Loki, Waat, Liliir, and Wunlit. But we must strengthen it further. NSCC did a great job for us. I am a caseworker for 34 Lost Boys in Omaha and all of them are Dinka. I told them, you were lost but you are found…you will not be lost again. Today I am here on behalf of Sudanese Council of Churches in the Diaspora. We thank God for the remarkable progress of this day. … We need human rights education. We don't acknowledge our own value. We need to do peace education so our people with the people on every border talk and work for peace.

Matiop Atem (Dinka) - Bor area
This is a day we can be proud of. … I put the blanket over my mother when she died. Nothing we have done is worth it unless we achieve this peace. Not just in our words but in our hearts.

Kuc Tueny (Dinka)
Wow, what a day…to see Dinka and Nuer sitting together and talking peace is a great joy to me. The SPLM and SPDF have come together. So let us join hands together and turn toward the Arab north. Let us forget what has happened and move forward.

Stephen Kuol (Nuer) Fanjak area
We know where we come from…we don't know our exact age. I think I am approximately 34 years of age. I have learned a lot today and grown up. Medical doctors say a right diagnosis leads to right treatment. I think we have diagnosed it. I think it is a tribalized political conflict. My Dinka friends before 1991 taught me after 1991 that we do have a problem between Dinka and Nuer. Southern Sudanese always talk about independence. But if we don't learn how to resolve our differences, if we get independence we will have our own civil war like other places in Africa. We point to political leaders for our mistakes. If John Garang made mistakes in 1983 and today, let people deal with him. When he goes his mistakes go with him. We need to learn from American politics how to let the political problems go with the politicians. When I talk with Dinka or Nuer they always want to know who do I support, Riek or Garang. Now I support Riek after not doing so for a long time, because now he supports my issues of unity. But if Garang makes mistakes I can leave him. We must be committed to issues rather than just individual politicians. Our political leaders are not good today, they have tribalized and politicized. Don't make Garang's mistakes belong to all Dinka. We are not qualified to be independent because we fight tribalized political conflicts. We can move beyond tribal politics. This meeting today can be used to move ahead for strategies. The fact that we still talk about Dinka and Nuer conflict we show we are not ready for future strategies. I am not telling my children that there are wars in Nuerland. We must solve them. We need a united position to challenge ourselves and to challenge our leaders in southern Sudan. Nuer need to challenge themselves that we cannot survive in southern Sudan without Dinka. Story of twins in China who were told that they couldn't survive unless they stay physically connected. So they grew up attached. But one day, one twin stabbed the other in anger. The doctor said, you are dead also because you are so weakened by your dying twin that I cannot do a surgery that will save you. That is the story of us as Dinka and Nuer. If we mean to be one nation then let us unite and show we are qualified to govern.

Mayen Mayen Jongkor (Dinka) Bahr al Ghazal
The final reconciliation will come when we drink from one river and eat from one dish. I am not here today to talk about women raped and kidnapped, cows taken, killings, etc because it has been said. I talk about a new beginning. I extend my thanks to community leaders who organize this. I thank young women who work so many hours to prepare food at homes for us to have this meeting. This workshop can be extended to other nations or ethnic groups. Today our fight is for forgiveness…for peace…for freedom…for liberty of thoughts…for our people, Jieng and Nath. Our relationship is not born today; our land is not born today.

Tut Nyang (Nuer), Lou from Waat District
I am one of those who organized Nuer community in Omaha three years ago. The reason was to work for peace among Nuer. My father used to knock his heart and claim to be pure Nuer. But I asked about his mother and she was Dinka. So there is no pure, we are all mixed. If we unite, we really unite then we will not worry because our brothers will not attack us. We sleep well and know when we choose to take the fight. If we unite, the Jalaba will withdraw from our towns without a fight, in Nasir, in Kapoeta, in all towns. Let us forget the past and move on. We can't bring back those who died. We must save those who live. We must forgive and move on.

Final words from "chiefs" who have heard the words of the people

Chief Pio Tem Kuag from Aweil
The fighting has been going from a long time. I have been a chief, a commissioner, and seen it all. The problem of Dinka and Nuer is from our leaders. It must be identified. The word leadership among our communities means that you save the lives of your people. If they are sick you get them to help. If there is something against them you talk about it. Our leaders now have the interest of their pockets. They are not fighting for the land. This is the problem of our southern leaders and it includes me because I am a leader and a southerner. Some of our southern leaders have not been willing to sit and have dialogue with people who disagree with them. And some of our people have been killed. Khartoum has known how to divide and rule. Our own resources of the south are taken by our own people. It is we the people of the south who must sit down and decide what we will do. I want us to also condemn the events of Sept. 11th and say thank you to America who has welcomed us here.

Nyawang Fatuma Garbang Bilu (Nuer considered representative of both Dinka and Nuer)
I myself was one of those who went with Riek Machar to Khartoum and signed the peace agreement. We had a plan and a vision. On the first day they treated us like king and queen because we suffer in the bush. The mistake is we took our soldiers inside and they went to Khartoum without the information of Riek Machar. I used to talk in rallies about self-determination. We went without our children because it was a suicide mission. They ask where is your husband, talk to him at night, lead a faction, have good money, fight John Garang. They thought we were stupid. They used southerners against southerners. While southerners are dying they are building in Khartoum. They used to dig for toilet now they sit on the thing. We take our soldiers to Juba so we can capture it and announce separation. So they divide us with the money. Even for me they buy for me a house with furniture. This is how I lost my husband. The GOS misled us so we would go kill each other. Riek did not go to Khartoum to sell the people out, no way. The south does not have a price. This war in south Sudan will take us 50 years if we are not careful. If you love money too much…if you don't have unity we will be refugees all over the world. These two issues, money and lack of unity. The war has become a commercial war. Choose whether you want unity of southern Sudanese or you want money. This money in Khartoum is dangerous money. The people have gold necklaces, even the commanders from the bush. They divide us with the money. I decided to quit from Khartoum and I said bye. That is the end of it.

James Jok Muondit (Nuer)
I thank all the people who have made this possible and been patient with long talks of Dinka and Nuer. Today this house is very important to us. The whole house is not here, just the two tribes. It is a big task. What I can tell you, I don't have any conflict. None of us has been attending this fighting. What is dividing us is our politicians. If we sign what we agree upon, we learn and we choose our own leaders. If God can bring us together then we can help our people. We are the turning tide. Let us make this a historical part of our struggle what we do at this meeting.

Areas of Small Groups for Forming Recommendations & Resolutions

  1. Are there on-going conflicts among Dinka, Nuer and southerners in Sudan or in the Diaspora that need to be faced? What steps are needed and recommended?
    Co-Chair: Stephen Par Kuol and James Telar Bol

  2. How can the bitterness that is deep within people from the mistakes of the past be brought out and healed? How can we bring those who are bitter into the peace?
    Chair: Bol Diaw and Isaac Malith

  3. How can the reconciliation spirit be extended to next stage?
    Chair: Dr. Julia Duany and Rose Weet

  4. How can Dinka, Nuer and other southern Sudanese work together in USA? Mechanisms for future work. Chair: Rev. James Goanar and Nyawang Fatuma Belu

  5. Washington Declaration statement
    Rapporteurs and Co-Chairs

Conference adjourned at 9:30 p.m. for Saturday night so that working groups could meet during the night and bring recommendations at the Sunday morning session.

Sunday 13 January 2002

Introduction and Opening

Moderator
Martin Mabil Kong, Co-Chair of Planning Committee

Opening prayer
Greg Davidson Laszakovits of Church of the Brethren

Session moderator
Julia Aker Duany

The working groups came back with three sets of recommendations and implementing resolutions.

Reports from Working Groups for Recommendations & Resolutions

  1. How can the bitterness that is deep within people from the mistakes of the past be brought out and healed? How can we bring those who are bitter into the peace?
    Chair: Bol Diaw and Isaac Malith      
  2. How can the reconciliation spirit be extended to next stage?
    Chair: Dr. Julia Duany and Rose Weet      
  3. How can Dinka, Nuer and other southern Sudanese work together in USA? Mechanisms for future work.
    Chair: Rev. James Goanar and Nyawang Fatuma Belu

Break for Worship, joining with the congregation of the Church of the Brethren, and for lunch provided by the women of the Sudanese community in Washington, D.C.

Dinka-Nuer Washington Declaration statement, Rapporteurs and Co-Chairs do draft

Isaac Malith
Read draft, discussions held with various inputs on modifications and amendments. Final modified version will be sent out by email. Signatures were gathered in support of Declaration and implementing steps.

Closing Session

Dr. Francis Mading Deng - Closing comments
Commended the work of the conference. Indicated the importance of unity. Deng said he told President Bashir that a strategy that seeks to divide the south is beneath the level of a statesman. He also told Dr. John Garang that a strategy that seeks to divide the north is beneath the level of a statesman. What is needed is for a united south to face a united north and for the two parties to be able then to negotiate a just peace. In reconciliation there is no winner or loser but compromise. He commended the reconciliation process as a means that helps unite the south and the Washington Declaration as a good statement that all can support in the spirit of reconciliation.

    Kathy McNeeley - Maryknoll
    On behalf of the Sudan Working Group-USA, she commended the conference and expressed support for the continuing process of reconciliation and the People-to-People peace process.

    Bill Lowrey - Closing Prayer

     

    SSFI's mission is to share the love of Jesus Christ with the people of southern Sudan  in a way that leads  them towards peaceful and self-reliant living from the grassroots level, so that available resources will meet the needs of their communities.

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