Wunlit Dinka-Nuer Peace Conference Notes

First Day
Dinka-Nuer West Bank
Peace & Reconciliation Conference

Opening Session, the 27th of February, 1999

From 8:15 people began gathering for sacrifice outside the meeting hall, the local Muonyjang first, and then the Nuer. The bull was killed shortly after 10:00 a.m. and people began gathering in the meeting hall by 10:15 a.m. Commander Salva Kiir arrived at 10:40 a.m., all stand and sit again.

Telar Deng: calls the meeting to silence, introduces the Commander, Governor, and Deputy Governor. We are happy to have you today and feel honoured that your have come for this important and historical conference. Our programme of today is being opened with prayers to be conducted by Rev. Matthew Mathiang. After that we will have an invocation offered by a spiritual leader of the Jieng, and one of the Nuer, Kuer Mony of Nuer will come to offer a blessing.

Rev. Matthew Mathiang: I want you to have a quiet time that we open ourselves to God and we want this time that we focus on worship. Some of you have this paper, which we will follow. I will take the part of the leader and you will respond accordingly.

Rev. MM: Praise the Lord, Alleluia! (invites Rt Rev. Henry Riak)

Bishop Henry Riak, Bp of Wau: God our Father we thank you for this great day in which we have come together for peace. Come Lord and give us your Spirit, the spirit of understanding, the spirit of doing the right.
This is a very important day for all of us who are here. On 27th Feb. 1999 in the soil of Jalwau. This will remain in the life of Dinka & Nuer a historic place in which we have shared the word of God, and how we can live together.
We must listen to what the Bible is saying to us on this important day. What I want to say here from the readings, it is telling us one thing, that we are in the hands and authority of God. As well, we see that God is with us and hasn't deserted us. The three readings tell us how we are changed from old life to new life. Jeremiah was told by the Lord to go and see the potter. Jeremiah went and saw what the potter was doing. So the potter found that he made a mistake. He destroyed it and made a new one. God showed Jeremiah that he can do the same thing with his people, destroying them, and creating them anew. God said that, if we change from our evil doing then he will make us new.

In the Epistle of St. Paul to Corinthians he said, we have this spiritual treasure is in a clay pot, in order to show that the supreme power belongs to God and not to us. So we are changed into a spiritual beings by the power of God. The power of the living God belongs to him in order to transform us. We are often troubled but not crushed. Sometimes we are in doubt but never despair. There are many enemies but we have friends that keep us from being destroyed. So our friends have brought us together to share this historical day. For this we thank the Secretary General of the NSCC, Dr. Haruun, that this has been done with our friends. And we thank God for the spread of the Gospel across the areas controlled by the SPLA. So all of us, with our friends, this is the vision for all of us, that we fight the right, knowing God in their life.

In the Gospel of St. John we are told there was a wicket woman who was brought to Jesus to be stoned. This woman became a strong believer in Jesus Christ when the Pharisees said this woman has committed sin and must be stoned. So Jesus said, if there is any person who has not sinned, let him be the first to cast a stone at the woman. And then Jesus began writing on the ground. As people saw Jesus writing down what was said, the observers began leaving one by one. The woman was left standing alone. When Jesus raised up his head he found it was the woman who was there alone with him. He said to the woman, "Where are they? Are none remaining?" The woman said, "They have gone." Jesus responded: "Go and do not sin again." This woman is called Margaretta (Mary Magdalena) who followed Jesus up to the grave. It is this woman alone who followed Jesus up to the grave, up to the tomb. So God wants all of us to change from our old life. So we have to change from where we have been before so that we have a new life today. So our Lord Jesus Christ wants all of us to be his people as he was with the children of Israel. We can be like a pot moulded by the potter. So God wants us to change and live with him together. And we need all of us to work for this peace that has been brought today. So God wants all of us to be in his hand, and we will be able to do one thing. There is nothing that can leave us out from the hand of God. Let us to change our life to Jesus Christ.

Let us pray. (Thuongjiang) Come upon us and bless our efforts today, this I ask in the name of Christ.

MM: (Return to the order of service to finish the Christmas segment of the service; finished 11:35 a.m.).

Beny Bith Mangic Cirong (from Tonj County): (Invocation)
I am pleased to be here. You of Nuer, I am a master of the fishing spear. I cut it (finalised it) today. We say this independently. This is the land of my father. We are sad that our home is being destroyed. Let this end today. You Nuer, this is my word. You, the authorities, this is our word. I have said it. I am finished.

Kuar Muon (Beny Tiop) William Ray Kuong (from Ganglel): As I stand here today I speak of my own life (as a metaphor for the life of our communities). Bring the leopard skin and put it on my neck. The leopard skin has been brought to cover my back as I make my invocation to God. I am an old man, and need help in standing (an attendant grasps his arm to steady him). I speak to you, O God: we, all of us, we Southerners, we are all people of one God. We have fought each other for many years, O God. I myself have been a great fighter. My ancestors before me were warriors, and I fought fiercely for many years. We elders know the history of these conflicts. Formerly we observed certain restrictions. The young men had the right to kill other warriors, but never did they kill old people or children or women or young boys. Today, however, we have transgressed, killing any we meet, young and old, woman and child. Because of this slaughter God has brought us together in this meeting to discuss these things. It is now many years since we have been reconciled and cut away our conflicts, and our hostilities of recent years still remain.

God our Father, God of the earth, I speak on behalf of our people who live upon the earth. This child whom you have called, this one Jesus, has come to reconcile us. This year we are blessed that he has come among us. And our leader, Malual Wun, haven't you seen him? (one of the major Nuer chiefs attending the meeting). And I (representing all our people), I have fought with Agar and with Atuot. Also with Marial whose land boarders ours. You who rob people by night, the thief who comes by night, he is not my father. I myself, (I confess that) am the great thief. But today I have left that. My six children have been killed. I have killed them. Riak and Garang, they are my two children, come back home, come back home. I have those who stay there, where there is water. Go there, and we will cut them off. I say Makur, Jakur, my cows are very fat. Come and we will sacrifice Mabior. Yesterday , in the beginning, the sun killed the people. Carung Kuol . . . and the sun killed people. We fought in a bad time. I am the child of one mother, and my uncles. I am a child of Jobong Cuor. I am a Nuer. And if I meet them now, I will kill them. And the old man called Gai Jong Wur. The old man called Weu, the old man, his child called Nyong who is here now. I like . . . to move. Go. If I meet a young man and a girl, they must not be killed. The young woman doesn't want war. The woman fights. They have released it. You children you are their children. The war is finished! The war is finished! When he begins to shake we kill him, the white bull, Mabior. Malual Abong is coming. I am a man who keeps Pec. Long ago I was a commander in war, long ago . My children, my feet cannot move anymore. My children of the school, let them go, abandon them. Girls who remain, my child who remains who are at Thorogap. O, God of the cattle camp, those who stay with my father. Our women will give birth now. I have given birth. In that place far away. Malual Awol. Gana Duool . I know I am the man who has fire. Those who sit on those seats. Let us go. A bull has been killed. Some children have been taken by the sun. These are my children who are all related. Haven't you seen the bull, the white bull? We will sacrifice a bull together with the Dinka. He will be cool. If there are those who don't know my name. It will be told. It is not me alone. The entire cattle camp will speak. Jokrial. This is my invocation. It is yours.

(Explanation: the old man speaks as if he is with God, both Nuer and Dinka. He is both of them, father of them all. He takes responsibility of them all upon himself. All the evil that has been perpetrated is his own responsibility. Now this killing has been concluded, and we must move into the future. He takes all the crimes committed upon himself, and confess them on behalf of all the people. And this must now stop).

[Additional notes taken by John Luk: God of all, Our God, with my brothers, this is the land. Our war never used to kill women, children and elders. Our God has decided to unite us. Let the many bad years go. Let the one son left to us, and the one who has come to us now, unite us. You will see how good it is. All the chiefs are here. My children: Follow God! ;Let us leave theft. I am thief, I have left it from today. I have loft my six sons killed by Ruai (himself). Let us unite and chase away the Arabs! The killing of the white bull has made things good. My mother is from Dinka. You who is destroying the people . .. . when I used to go raiding I used to advise people not to kill women or children. The war is over. Have you not seen Malwal Wun and Gaijal, if we have not agreed no war against the Dinka can happen. I hve two of my sons. Their legs were cut off. My two daugthers are here with you the Dinka, but we have forgiven. Now our women will produce children. God give us power. All the cows taken, let them be forgotten. We have killed the white bull for peace.]

TD: Ladies and Gentlemen, the next speaker is Dr. Haruun Ruun of the NSCC. (see manuscript). This will be followed by a summary in Nuer and Dinka.

Mario Muor Muor: First, I am not going to say much, but let me explain what I have been assigned to do. I am not here as a commander or a representative of SPLA. When the Church began to plan this conference I was asked to prepare this place for meeting. So when this request was made by the church, the SPLA/SPLM leadership released me to come and assist with organisation. So I am here, not as an official of SPLA. The Movement is not organising this, but I am here in support of the NSCC, with the people from Bahr el Gazal, and from Upper Nile organising this conference. So the work of the SPLA is here that they have facilitated, allowing me to come and act as a member of the organising committee. I was charged with the following assignment:

1) Construction of this peace village. That work was not made possible because of me. And I really want to call on someone was centrally responsible: Agum Mading. (applause). And me personally I am very grateful to him. Without him this village could not be here.

2) To receive the logistical materials for the Conference as they come in from Nairobi. That work as well was not my own undertaking. It was undertaken by Ayolo Ayello ci Combe, the field manager for World Vision. The Peace Conference had no truck, but through him, I have been able to collect all the incoming supplies from Uganda and from Lokichiokio by air. So I am personally very thankful to Ayelo and to WV as an organisation. Without them this would not have been possible.

3) My other responsibility was to meet the delegates and transport them to the conference site. That work has been made possible by CEAS who has provided a truck, and sometimes by WV who has likewise assisted us.

4) My last responsibility is that of providing services during the conference. I will not speak about this because it is still ahead of us. But I want to assure you that any little food brought will be distributed to all the delegates equally. I would like to ask that our delegates have patience because the food we have is at a low standard. But since we have opted for Peace, let us make Peace the food.

5) My last thing is the advice concerning security. It is possible that an Antonov could come at any time. Around all your villages are holes dug in the ground. They may not be enough for all of you. If you are near the whole run and hide yourself in the hole. If you are not near, than lay down flat on the ground.

I thank you all for coming. Before I leave I would like you to know the attendance of the Conference. The six counties were to come from Bahr el Ghazal with 30 each making a total of 180. In Bahr el Ghazal we have ten counties, but out of these four have no border with Nuer. So for the six counties that have the border with Nuer:

The total number in attendance from Bahr el Ghazal is 132.

From Western Upper Nile we have 145 delegates. So if you add those figures, we are about 75% attendance. So the Conference is successful. We have a quorum, with a good number in attendance. Thank you very much.

TD: The next to come are two speakers, who are hosting the Conference. I call upon the Governor of Bahr el Ghazal to give us a word.

Governor Nhial Deng Nhail: Welcome. I thank you all very much for your attendance. I will not bore you with a speech. I have only a few remarks to make. I will be brief because this is not our forum. It is your forum. Perhaps the only reason Commander Salva Kiir, and the Deputy Governor are here is to lend support to this historic occasion. This gathering is a rare political landmark in the history of our struggle. Because for once, we, the politicians have taken the back seat, and for the next days all the attention will be focused on you, what you can design for yourselves. To be with you today is an honour and a privilege. I will not be able to mention each of you as individuals or organisations, but I tell you we are grateful that you have come, and thankful for the work that has gone to make this occasion a success. The fact that it is taking place at all in this venue today, regardless of the outcome, is remarkable, and I am hopeful that something positive will derive from your discussions. I truly feel that I and the county commissioners who assist me in running the administration of the region, are the proudest people in this hall today. I want to say to the leaders of the Nuer community, that the fact that you have come to this location means that you have bestowed complete confidence in us as an administration. And I would like to say that this confidence is not misplaced. You are right to put your confidence in us. And I declare that anyone who is seeking to support peaceful coexistence between the two communities will always find the doors of Bahr el Ghazal open to them at any time.

However, I would like offer a word of caution: let us not be carried away by the achievements of today. There remains a great deal of work still to be done. Not all of us are that keen about peace and reconciliation. There is still a minority among us whose interests are being served by the perpetuation of the suffering of our people (Nuer chanting rises up; song starts and is carried on briefly). There are still people among us, and in our two communities, and some of these are well placed. They want to exploit the tragic events of 1991 and call our peoples to take revenge. But what they want is not really revenge, but rather to perpetuate the raids for property and cattle to increase their own wealth. You know that the official policy of the Movement is to pursue peace & reconciliation diligently, so when these incidents occur, you must understand that these are not people instituting the policy of the Movement, but they are doing their own independent will. We would not be sincere if we said that we have everything under control. We have to be honest and tell you the situation as it actually is. However, let me assure you all that we will work hard to stop these cross border raids by individuals acting on their own, even though we may not be able to eliminate them altogether. We will do our best for peaceful coexistence. You are working very hard at your level to achieve piece. We hope that ultimately your initiatives will lead to the point where the political leadership are also going to find unity of purpose. And in this regard I am happy to tell you that, even at the level of political leadership, we are having a fruitful dialogue, it is more hopeful with each passing day. And as evidence of this, shortly before I came here, that I met with Dr. Riak Machar in a foreign country, and I was pleased to find that he had given his full support to this very meeting in which we are now gathered. What is important in the struggle is not the unity of movements and organisations, but the unity of objectives and ideals.

The armed struggle of the people of Sudan and other marginalised areas has grown and become very big, but we should not forget that when it began in 1983, it was Nuer and Jieng who sewed the seeds of the struggle. And I am refraining deliberately from using the word Dinka, and am using the word Jieng, to affirm that the Nuer are one of the very few nationalities in the world that call us by our correct name. And that shows that there is a degree of affinity between ourselves and you. Because that plant (or tree) of the struggle was planted together by Nuer and Jieng, the fruit of that tree will not be harvested but by Nuer and Jieng doing that together. Our struggle is essentially about power. It is not about religion. It is not about culture. It is not about ethnicity, because all these things flow from power. If your are a single individual and you have the power, all people can become what you are because you have the power. All that we are asking for is a share of power, but the reality of the situation is that the oppressors are not going to release any power unless we struggle for it. We do not wage war for the sake of war. We are not war mongers, but we are obliged to wage war, because our rights will not be given to us except through the armed struggle. I will say this, that if the Dinka thinks he can win without the Nuer he is mistaken; if a Nuer believes he can do it without the Jieng, he is mistaken. This is an undertaking that demands that we work together, interdependent each on the other. The SPLA knows very well the benefits of peaceful coexistence between the different nationalities of our country. The SPLA also knows the disadvantages of conflict because our nationalities. This is why the SPLA has consistently worked to bring police together. When we reconciled our differences with Anyanya II in 1987, we made some of the biggest advances of the war. In 1991 when the split occurred, you all know what happened. The armed struggle requires unity. Even with the war that is going on today, you the common people have rights today that the leadership on both sides are bound to uphold. These rights are the right to life and the right to property. We are going to try using all different means for our part to defend these rights. We shall even try to use our system of courts, now under revision, to ensure the rights of Nuer whose rights may be infringed in these areas. Depending on what resolutions we arrive at, it may even be possible in the foreseeable future, if an incident were to occur in Nuerland and cattle were taken, it would be possible to bring means, so that Nuer can be brought before our courts to testify, and these people have their rights restored to them. This is one example of the means we could use to restore our rights between our two communities.

The final point I would like to make is really an appeal to the decision makers across our community. I think the tragedy of our situation throughout South Sudan is that we always take a short term view of the struggle. We need to realise that the past, the present, and the future are all linked. We need to work from the assumption that the struggle is protracted and the present generation will not necessarily benefit from the struggle. If we take this long term view seriously it will become clear that the fruit will come at the end of the road, and we will all benefit. Thank you. I wish you every success in your discussions, and thank you for having listened so patiently.

(Translation is expanded briefly and detailed for Nuer community)

TD: Ladies of gentlemen, I have the pleasure of calling upon the Deputy Chairman of the SPLM. Commander Salva Kiir Mayardit:

Commander Salva Kiir Mayardit: Before I begin I would like to apologise to all the delegates and guests concerning the absence of our leader, Dr. John Garang de Mabior, who was supposed to attend this gathering. Because of his pressing duties he was not able to attend the opening session of this historic Conference. Though he is absent, he is with us in spirit. There is only one small thing I will say as a joke, about what our father Kong Roi said about cross boarder raiding. I want to say that he has not abandoned raiding as he said, but he has grown old and is not able to pursue that career anymore. Perhaps it is a call that has to be taken by younger people.

Comrade Commander Nhial Deng Nhial, Governor of Bahr el Ghazal Region, all the commissioners, all the delegates, to this important Peace and Reconciliation Conference, chiefs, leaders, women, people of Bahr el Ghazal in general, and our people from Upper Nile, I greet you in the name of our land and our people. Dr. Haruun Ruun, members of the NSCC, honourable invited guests and facilitators, I greet you warmly in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the name of reconciliation among our peoples. On behalf of the SPLM's leadership and on my own behalf, I greet you all in the name of the struggle, and in the name of the South Sudan. Freedom and dignity have been denied and trampled under foot by successive regimes in Khartoum. My congratulations to Dr. Haruun Ruun, the NSCC, and all those who have organised this great Conference. I congratulate the Nuer chiefs and women who were the first to come to Dinkaland, and Dinka chiefs and women who first went to Nuerland. I congratulate those who crossed to each other's territories, for their courage, putting aside their personal safety for the sake of the larger good. I congratulate the foreign guests, the observers and facilitators for taking the time to come to this remote land, and I congratulate all who are attending this historic Conference. I know that each of you have taken great courage, and made sacrifices to attend. It was not easy but you made it at last. I Finally, congratulate the beneficiaries of this Conference, that is, the Dinka & Nuer peoples, whose representatives are in attendance. Our successes will resonate around the world. I offer my congratulations because you have already succeeded even before the Conference has begun.

This Conference is being conducted in the midst of the great loss of elemental blood by both Dinka and Nuer people. I'll therefore not waste time but start by urging all participants to take this opportunity to reflect deeply on the terrible losses we have suffered, Dinka and Nuer, at each other's hands, as well as through the fratricide within our ethnic groups. Let us use this Conference to reach conclusions and recommendations so that there shall be no more losses between Dinka and Nuer, and simultaneously turn our energies against our common enemy. The Jelaba is our enemy. Let us put our efforts toward building up our true friends. Our true friends are peace and reconciliation and unity. Our real enemy, the Jelaba Government in Khartoum, shall, with absolute certainty, be defeated, and the New Sudan be born. Let us lead our people into the new era, the 21st Century, which should be an era of peace and prosperity for the people of Sudan. It is for these reasons that I pour millions of congratulations on you for the success of the Conference. You have finally thwarted the malicious designs that have encouraged our people to kill one another. We must wholeheartedly embrace peace and reconciliation. I wish good luck to our people and bad luck to our enemies. I am sure we have all realised that we need each other. There can be no movement without both the Dinka and Nuer, nor for that matter, without any tribe of Sudan no matter how small.

While pouring out my heart and sentiments to you at this Conference, I would like to seize this opportunity to challenge any who may want to undermine this Conference. I plead with you to come out from your propagation of fratricidal war, and come to support the building up of our peoples. Our people deserve no less than the success of this Conference. Brothers and sisters, these past eight bitter years of strife and war among the Dinka and Nuer, and between Nuer and Nuer, have shown that our unity is invaluable. It is of paramount importance to stop the war. The Dinka are not enemies of the Nuer. We are all brothers and sisters. It is the NIF Government in Khartoum that is the cause of our sufferings. It is the NIF that must go. Let us, therefore, from this Conference onward, beat the drums of peace, the drums of reconciliation, the drums of unity, all over Dinkaland, all over Nuerland, all over the entire country. Let the care of our gentle friends accompany a breeze of peace blowing over all the land, banishing forever the devils and hurricanes of hatred.

In this connection, I would like to convey to you, the participants, especially the chiefs, the elders, and the women, that I have great confidence that this Conference will bring true reconciliation and peace among our people. This Conference is not based on dreams but on reality. It has sprung from the grass roots. It was not concocted in some foreign capital and brought to you in a package. It is you who made this Conference. It is you who are making peace. It is you who are making this effort on the ground. This is the basis for my confidence in the success of the Conference.

Your Conference has also given me opportunity to express my grief and sorrow over the merciless famine that has hit our region of Bahr el Ghazal in recent months. I therefore appeal to all citizens of Bahr el Ghazal in particular, and to all in South Sudan, to grow sufficient food for themselves and for their families during the coming year.

I also seize this opportunity to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to those of the international community and organisations who contributed food to save the lives of our people during our period of dire need. Finally, let us say good-bye to our divisions from this time forward. Let us confirm that our central concern is survival, because the NIF regime has released on us a war of genocide, which is both physical and cultural. Let us appreciate that, in order to survive, we must achieve unconditional peace, we must achieve unconditional reconciliation, we must achieve unconditional unity among and within our people. I conclude by assuring you that I have no doubt that our people will achieve total freedom. And it is the people of the New Sudan, the Nuer and Dinka and all others, who will be responsible for this. I wish you every success in your deliberations.

There was a piece of information which I omitted. It is a piece of information primarily for the chiefs from Nuerland who have come here. We have heard of the most unfortunate incident which took place on the 18th of this month, that some Dinka young men crossed over the border to take cattle in Gainlell and . . . , which has resulted in some deaths. This is regrettable and we have taken measures to correct this situation. We ordered the Commander of Rumbek county to send his troops to apprehend whoever is returning from Nuerland. The perpetrators are to be arrested and the cattle will be returned. It is not yet executed, but we expect success. In part, it is this kind or seeking the rights of our people that the Governor referred to. As I said, it was unfortunate and untimely. The Commissioner of Rumbek County who was away when the incident occurred, is now with us. He, along with all the authorities, are confident that this will be dealt with justly. At the same time I request that you of Nuer restrain your young men from retaliating in counter raids. In that mode we will not bring an end to our fighting, which is our objective in this Conference. Such events are very common, even in the area where we are now meeting. On the 23rd of this month a small boy was found dead, killed by an unknown person, and his cattle were taken by unknown people. These things happen among our people, Dinka and Nuer, and we must be prepared to deal with them when they confront us. Once more, I thank you all for your patience, listening to all these long speeches.

TD: I thank those who have come to speak with us at this Conference in the midst of their heavy responsibilities. From now they may come and sit as observers. And we would also be grateful if they provide closing remarks at the end of the Conference. As of now, we are free to depart. Tomorrow we will meet at 9:00 a.m. but in the intervening time I ask Nuer and Dinka leaders to meet together to reflect on the concerns before us. Tomorrow the Nuer will speak first; Dinka will follow on the next day. I now invite Rev. Matthew Mathiang to close in prayer.

Haruun Ruun: I want to mention three things.
We are grateful for your patience in waiting. The Peace initiative is not a simple thing. It demands days, months and years. It will continue.
Secondly, I want to express myself to the Governor and Commissioner, that they have honoured our delineation that this is a peoples' conference. I want to apologise that I will not be able to continue with you in the coming days. I have other obligations and will have to leave as soon as I am able.
I want to emphasise that the SPLA has taken security seriously. We want to mention this to the leadership of all of our peoples. It is difficult to speak in terms of specifics, but we are very grateful for your efforts to make our stay here secure throughout our stay, and until the time full peace comes to Sudan.

MM: I invite all of us to stand as we pray. Father of our Lord, we are thankful that this Peace Conference has begun. Now we ask that the Holy Spirit will guide us the rest of the day. Guide us as we go from this place, give us safety today and in the days ahead. Also bless the food we take now. We commit all these things to you, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Spirit. Amen.

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.