Panyijiar communities say dialogue and forgiveness key to sustained peace
Tabitha is one of many community members whose lives have been permanently altered by air strikes in Panyijiar, a county in Unity state.
She and others tell a patrolling team of peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), about their fatigue with repeated cycles of violence.
'We keep hearing about better times ahead, but such attacks bring back memories of civil war. That's why I believe that dialogue is critical for us if we want a peaceful life. Violence only begets more violence,' she added.
Hiroko Hirahara, Director of the UN Peacekeeping mission's Civil Affairs Division, agreed.
'As part of our efforts to protect civilians, we help broker community-led peace agreements,' she explained.
'Apart from these recent air attacks, Panyijiar also has a history of cattle-related disputes with neighboring counties in Lakes state. So, in September last year we supported a peace dialogue between residents here and several counties from Lakes, including Yirol East, Yirol West, Rumbek East, Rumbek Centre and Rumbek North. These are some of the most conflict-prone locations.'
Ms. Hirahara revealed that this intervention led to the adoption of a practical, 21-point local resolution, where feuding communities themselves came up with workable solutions to end cyclical violence.
'Given the current security situation, it is vital that community members recommit to implementing this local level agreement that they themselves negotiated,' she said.
'While some of the resolutions may need additional resources, others, such as stopping cross-border cattle raids, killing and revenge attacks can be immediately actioned.'
What are some of the more resource-heavy elements of such agreements?
'Some aspects require support from state and national authorities, such as, for example, joint border patrols by the police. As UNMISS, we can and already do help by consistently training and building capacities of security actors across the country,' stated Ms. Hirahara.
'But the key really lies with community members taking ownership of this existing framework for peace and security. The most powerful solutions for lasting peace come from the people who know what it is to lose everything.'
For Nyaroom Ruei, a women's leader in Panyijiar, efforts for larger political reconciliation are equally essential.
'While we as community members will try our best to rebuild trust among ourselves, our leaders must make similar efforts to bridge their differences. We have endured enough pain. All of us are convinced that honest political dialogues at the highest level are necessary for South Sudan to be truly peaceful. We hope that the UN and other partners will take our message to the right people.'
Amid the sharpest uptick in violence in South Sudan since 2020, Panyijiar communities have a clear message: peace will not take hold unless everyone—political and security actors, women, the disabled, the elderly, traditional leaders, youth, and the larger civil society—forgives past hurts and moves forward in the spirit of compromise.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
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