By Hou Akot Hou
The annual peace conference between Dinka Malual, of South Sudan and the Misseriya tribesmen of the neighboring Sudan has kicked off in Aweil town of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state on Tuesday.
The coordinator for peace in Northern Bahr El Ghazal state William Kolong Pioth told No. 1 Citizen Daily Newspaper, Wednesday morning that more than 100 people from both sides are attending the conference.
“This workshop has brought together Misseriya and Dinka chiefs, women, and youth in order to dialogue on how they can coexist along the border as the Misseriya come to graze their cattle,” he said.
“What I have seen on the items of the Misseriya is that some people do attack them at the grazing areas, loot and kill at will,” he said “adding “these are pressing issues on the Messeriya side and on the Dinka side, they equally say that their people also get killed by Misseriya whenever they move back,” Kolong lamented.
The peace coordinator stated that issues about blood compensation are what they are embarking on as some don’t agree to that notion.
“Some people say this is like becoming a business issue. So, we are going to discuss concrete resolutions on how best we can forge better understandings as we have been living for centuries at border and conflict doesn’t solve issues,” he noted.
He emphasized that amicable relationship with mutual benefits should be the way forward for the neighboring communities from the two sisterly nations with shared history.
Kolong appealed to the locals living in the border areas of the two Sudans to avoid capitalizing on rumors that Misseriya are the cause of the problems whenever the season for migration arrives.
He underscored that the two governments, of South Sudan’s Northern Bahr El Ghazal state and that of Sudan’s Southern Kordofan state are working to build strong ties for their citizens to live in peace.