War-time chiefs council may be replaced
By Skye Wheeler
YEI, Sudan, June 28, (Gurtong) – A chiefs’ council for the South
formed during Sudan’s conflict years may be disbanded following the future
creation of traditional leader councils in all ten states said Juba’s
paramount chief on Thursday.
Dennis Daramallo, who is also chairman of the High Council of Chiefs for Southern
Sudan which was set up in 1997 and continues to work to this day, explained
that the High Council consists of some 18 individuals who represent the ten
states but all live in the South’s capital and former garrison.
The High Council – and the support provided through it to some ‘representative
chiefs’ in Juba who act as chiefs for communities displaced there in lieu
of their original leader – is contentious however, explained one analyst.
Although peace was signed in 2005 chiefs in rural areas have not seen real devolvement
of powers back in their direction.
“We don’t know what work they are doing there, we are struggling
and they are taking salaries every month,” said Elikana Sebit, a chief
from rural Central Equatoria State whose ethnic group have a representative
chief in Juba, “in Juba they are all very fat”.
Another chief said that although they understood why during the war years the
northern National Congress Party found it advantageous to pay the garrison Juba
chiefs it is incomprehensible to them as to why, under the new government, they
are still receiving salaries.
“They are overlooking us,” said Joseph Brown, Mugwo Payam paramount
chief, “in Juba they are looking after 20 or 30 people, here one permanent
chief might have 10,000 people … but they are the ones being paid”.
“Some are just representatives and some are permanent chiefs,”
said Daramallo about the High Council, although he said that some representative
chiefs had already left the council including those who were seconded from the
northern military, the Sudan Armed Forces.
“The (High) Council will disappear if we all come together,” said
Daramallo, speaking at a conference to create a council of traditional leaders
for Central Equatoria State following the creation of a Lakes State council
in March. He believes if an umbrella organization over all ten such councils
could be formed, the current High Council would become unnecessary.
“With peace, we want the real chiefs,” added Daramallo, “you
choose a chief for previous chieftainships; it is clear who are the real chiefs
and who are just representatives”.
High Council member Christopher Laku who was elected a chief in Juba for a
displaced population from Kulipapa Boma in 1979 admits that while he is still
getting paid for being a chief, the ‘real’ chief in Kulipapa is
not. ‘We are struggling for them to get paid’ he said.
But Darmallo denied that any of the representative chiefs in Juba are getting
salaries for being chiefs even if they belong to the High Council. He said that
in fact the chiefs are getting salaries for official work, such as with local
government and called for a quick ‘yes’ decision by the government
over the issue of salaries for the traditional leaders.
A Local Government Board was set up to work in the Government of Southern Sudan’s
office of the presidency to decide how to implement the former rebel Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement’s promise to give chiefs salaries and powers lost
during the war.
But the body has failed to produce a final local government draft act two and
a half years after peace was signed.
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