Call for a Chief's forum answered in Lakes State
By Skye Wheeler
RUMBEK, Sudan, March 14 (Gurtong) – Brought from across the wildness
of Lakes State in the heart of Southern Sudan, more than forty chiefs wearing
a variety of hats from a Moroccan fez to khaki safari style and one looking
like a Siberian fur began the process of constructing a chief’s council
in their state on Tuesday.
This institution would mean they could meet regularly and discuss issues of
importance to their two main roles also discussed yesterday during the ‘Forum
of Traditional Leaders’; their role as administrators and their role dealing
justice through the ‘traditional authority’ courts.
“This council is an old idea really, during the time of the British there
was something like this to discuss issues, and because of it there were no crisis
like there is today,” explained Chief Dut who is acting as the Lakes State
focal point for the chiefs and who introduced the notion of a council to the
members of the conference on Tuesday morning.
But Dut says that during the war years, the powers of the chiefs were greatly
degraded; he hopes the new council, to which he has already donated US$1,000
– a pledge that was followed by several other hundred dollar bills and
a goat within an hour – will go a long way to assist the chiefs in re-establishing
themselves.
“During the war, the administration was not there and people were not
able to call each other. At that time there would be army officers in each village
and they would do the administration even though it was not their field. Now
the chiefs don’t know the way to get their power back, they are scattered,”
said Dut.
Dut says that the traditional leaders in the conference should also take back
larger judiciary powers than they have become used to.
“I am hoping for a Southern Sudan where all cases are tried by the chiefs,”
said Dut who says that the interim legislation makes way for this; “this
is something that has been laid down already, no one can refuse us on that’.
Dut says that the mobile courts and state judiciary are suffering from corruption
which he agreed with the chiefs during discussions in the afternoon was a big
problem. They are also not producing satisfaction says Dut.
“People are not getting their cows. These courts are just taking the
fine and putting people in prison, but traditional authority would do compensation
for the family”.
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