USAID/OTI Sudan Hot Topics March 2006
The Return of the Dinka Bor to Their Home
The overarching goal of the USAID/OTI Sudan program is to strengthen Sudanese confidence and capacity to address the causes and consequences of political marginalization, violence, and instability within the context of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Government of Sudan.
The OTI Sudan program focuses on promoting the emergence of responsive and effective civil authorities; providing opportunities for peaceful dialogue within and among communities; fostering the emergence of an active civil society; increasing the availability of quality, independent information; and protecting vulnerable populations from grave human rights violations and related abuses.
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| Cattle Camps Crossing Juba. |
One of the challenges facing Sudan following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement is the plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and their resettlement. The Bor Dinka story illustrates a successful response to this challenge.
For more than a decade, the pastoralist Bor Dinka IDPs have been residing in Equatoria on land temporarily provided to them by their agriculturalist hosts. In response to tensions between the IDPs and their hosts, OTI has provided several small grants over the past two years, including support for the establishment of the Joint Integration Return and Rehabilitation Support Team (JIRRST) and their activities such as community meetings, dialogues and trainings for local peace committees.
Amidst increasing violence and cattle looting between the Bor, Moro, and Mundari communities, OTI supported a series of negotiations in Juba in late 2005 to facilitate the return of the Dinka Bor IDPs to their own land. The JIRRST, members of the Government of South Sudan, PACT, and representatives of the three communities agreed to facilitate the movement of cattle camps through Juba, over the bridge, and back to their homes in Bor County.
A full police escort cleared the main road to the Juba bridge, which spans the Nile River, for the cattle camps and their keepers. The United Nations, non-governmental organizations, and the Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission constructed a transit camp in Lilogo near Juba to host pregnant and lactating women, young children, elderly, and the disabled while river transport was arranged. The cattle camps were thus able to move more quickly, reducing exposure to threats along the way. Efforts were also mobilized for the re-integration of the returnees in Bor County, including a number of assessments and planning sessions with authorities in Bor.
As of the end of February, 30 of 32 cattle camps had crossed the bridge, several cattle camps had safely reached Bor County, and an estimated 3,000 vulnerable returnees are expected to soon commence the barge trip back to their former homes. This success in addressing the complex issues of returns was facilitated through the collaborative efforts of all parties, the promotion of sustainable reintegration for the returnees, and the healing and reconciliation of "former" hosts and IDPs.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C: Michele Amatangelo, Program Manager, Tel: (202) 712-4275, mamatangelo@usaid.gov
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