SOUTH SUDAN / MUGO RECONCILIATION EFFORTS

STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / MUGO RECONCILIATION EFFORTS
TRT: 04:50
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / KAKUWA / NAT

DATELINE: 13 AUGUST 2022, MUGO, SOUTH SUDAN

SHOTLIST:
1. Various shots, community attending the meeting
2. Close up, lo-Muse attending the meeting
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph lo-Muse, Paramount Chief & Chair, Yei River Peace and Reconciliation Committee, South Sudan:
“We have come here because of many conflicts that were happening here in Mugo and Payawa boma. That is why we have come to see. These issues affect the citizens in Mugo. So, since we came, we found many people have come to talk about grievances and what has happened to them. And so, they will come up with resolutions that we can work on because we need peace come in order to overcome all these challenges they have gone through. With these challenges, when peace comes, I think the conflicts will reduce.”
3. Various shots, community attending the meeting
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Kennedy Beda, Youth Representative, Payawa, South Sudan:
“Since the crisis happened in our society, youth are the most vulnerable in terms of insecurity. You may see movement is not okay [difficult]. Some of the suspects, of course, say this insecurity, of course, begun by the youth. That is why I said most of the youth are affected because they do not have employment.”
5. Various shots, Mugo Murtihi attending the meeting
6. SOUNDBITE (English) James Mugo Murtihi, Team Leader in Yei, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“It is very important that we forget the past and reconcile among ourselves because when you are united as a community, then it gives a more energy and drives to move forward as one community. I would really encourage them to bring everybody together as leaders from this Mugo Payam and, more so, from Payawa boma, where are, and we created a commitment as UNMISS to work more at a lower level to address some of these challenges in the community.”
7. Various shots, community attending the meeting
8. SOUNDBITE (Kakuwa) Regina Sunday, Women’s Representative, South Sudan:
“My children have been here in the bush. So, there is no food for them to eat, and they have not been learning because there are no schools in the bush here. Recently, some schools have opened, and I can ensure my children are receiving an education. I have not run to any IDP camp; I just stayed here in the bush.”
9. SOUNDBITE (Kakuwa) Regina Sunday, Women’s Representative, South Sudan:
“So, I am requesting peace to come to help those of us sheltering in the bush and to stop more displacement.”
10. Various shots, community attending the meeting
11. SOUNDBITE (English) James Mugo Murtihi, Team Leader in Yei, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“What is most important is to have some mechanism to work in the community [so] that they will be able to address issues on a daily basis, without waiting for them to get to [escalate to] another level where we have to get like [the] county peace committee to come in. That is why we are looking at strengthening the boma-level peace councils, strengthening the Payam peace committee to be able to address this on a continuous basis.”
12. Various shots, community attending the meeting

STORYLINE:
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) partnered with the Peace and Reconciliation Committee from Yei, River County, to mitigate drivers of conflict and promote reconciliation.

The initiative brought some 100 people from different communities of the administrative division of Mugo Payam, enabling them to convene, connect, and share grievances to build a peaceful future.

The initiative originated from the Yei River County Peace Committee, sought to address numerous intercommunal issues that linger among the Mugo communities following repeated civil wars in South Sudan.

Joseph lo-Muse, Paramount Chief & Chair, Yei River Peace and Reconciliation Committee, said: “We have come here because of many conflicts that were happening here in Mugo and Payawa boma. That is why we have come to see. These issues affect the citizens in Mugo. So, since we came, we found many people have come to talk about grievances and what has happened to them. And so, they will come up with resolutions that we can work on because we need peace come in order to overcome all these challenges they have gone through. With these challenges, when peace comes, I think the conflicts will reduce.”

The people of Payawa, an area within Mugo, have endured numerous outbreaks of conflict that have led to community members being killed or injured. It is now time for them to try and stop the endless cycle of violence.

Kennedy Beda, Youth Representative in Payawa, said: “Since the crisis happened in our society, youth are the most vulnerable in terms of insecurity. You may see movement is not okay. Some of the suspects, of course, say this insecurity, of course, begun by the youth. That is why I said most of the youth are affected because they do not have employment.”

James Mugo Murtihi, UNMISS Team Leader in Yei, said: “It is very important that we forget the past and reconcile among ourselves because when you are united as a community, then it gives a more energy and drives to move forward as one community. I would really encourage them to bring everybody together as leaders from this Mugo Payam and, more so, from Payawa boma, where are, and we created a commitment as UNMISS to work more at a lower level to address some of these challenges in the community.”

Such reconciliation events are also a bridge between civilian populations and uniformed personnel, building trust and confidence for long-suffering community members.

Regina Sunday, a local Women’s Representative, said: “My children have been here in the bush. So, there is no food for them to eat, and they have not been learning because there are no schools in the bush here. Recently, some schools have opened, and I can ensure my children are receiving an education. I have not run to any IDP camp; I just stayed here in the bush.”

“So, I am requesting peace to come to help those of us sheltering in the bush and to stop more displacement,” she added.

The initiative aims to empower communities to tackle challenges constructively without resorting to violence.

James Mugo Murtihi said: “What is most important is to have some mechanism to work in the community that they will be able to address issues on a daily basis, without waiting for them to get to another level where we have to get like county peace committee to come in. That is why we are looking at strengthening the boma-level peace councils, strengthening the Payam peace committee to be able to address this on a continuous basis.”