Nuer Fear of Neighbors is Not an Excuse not to Disarm

Tuesday 9 May 2006 00:30.

May 8, 2006 — Not too long ago the Lou Nuer politicians from all political parties including elders, chiefs gathered in Yuai, what they call Yuai conference in reaction to first disarmament attempt. The out come of the meeting was resistance to disarmament. They all agreed that no disarmament will take place in Lou Nuer territories unless the surrounding tribes [Anuak, Dinka Bor, Dinka Ngok, Shuluk and Murle] have been disarmed first. They see that these tribes are more threat to them [ Kot Tot: Feasibilty of the “Project Finish”, Disarmament of Nuer in the Southern Sudan, May 6/2006, Sudan Tribune]. The same fear has been voiced by the Nuer at various times. But they had forgotten they themselves are the major cause of instability in their own areas, Nuer against Nuer. Soon after Yuai conference elders from Nuer and Murle met two times in Pibor first and then in Akobo. Who is breaking the peace all the time? If it is the Murle, that is not surprising because the Murle will continue to do it whether disarmament succeeds or not. Rustling cattle is their way of life. The GoSS will deal with that sooner or later. Over all, what is this political game being played by the Nuer to generate all these headachs?

The Nuer should not worry about other tribes. They should worry about what they should do with themselves first. The fear is in their house. Other tribes understand law easily. The Jonglei administration will not keep quiet if they misbehave. However, the Nuer must clean up their house instead of fighting unnecessarily with the SPLA soldiers and among themselves. The Nuer image is already damaged. Their name needs repair badly and quickly. They should work to repair it instead of fighting with the laws of the land. Blaming the Dinka and forgetting the lethal relationship that the Lou Nuer has with other Nuer sections is not a solution. No big or small excuses will solve the Nuer problems.

Generally the Southern Sudan nationalities or ethnic groups have problems of keeping peace among and between themselves. Between and within tribes there are quarrels and fighting, some very fatal. People fight about cattle. People fight about borders and intrusions. People fight about politics and government positions. The list is long. All of these lead to total insecurity which stretches the Southern Sudan security forces thin. The Arabs are only too happy when these happen. These quarrels are mostly a one time occurrence [among other tribes except the Nuer] and solved easily by elders or government.

The Nuer problems are persistent and damaging. This important group must transform and reform itself if it has to salvage the already damaged image, regionally and nationally. Much depends on how they look at themselves as a group of people with common norms. The elite must analyze, criticize and examine the anatomy of the Nuer social and political fabrics and the direction it is going. Transformation is required. The old ways of Nuerism must be left behind [Brown Bol: Avoid Nuerism, South Sudan Net, April 28/2006].

This is not to talk bad about Nuer. It is a corrective criticism. Some hot blood may not like it. But educated and seasoned individuals will appreciate what follows and find reason to transform. To ‘transform’ is a key word for acquiring new and positive outlook.

Let us see some of the bad examples that the Nuer showed recently and how they affect the Nuer politics and the over all image. The most extreme of problems is found in the upper Nile. Here the name ‘Nuer” is associated with chaos and bloodshed these days more than the “warriors” and “peace-loving” as always claimed. As already mentioned above, not too long ago that the SSDF militia attacked the SPLA forces who went to Yuai in Lou to welcome the SSDF forces who joined the SPLA with Matiep. Then there was the incident in Wau just because the s