Local farmers in Western Bahr el Ghazal State’s Jur River County have said they are happy with pastoralists from Warrap State for the latter’s commitments to the Marial-Baa agreement.
Speaking during an evaluation meeting in Wau Town on Thursday, several local farmers said the herders from neighboring states have been coexisting peacefully with locals. Costa Unguec, a resident of Roc-Roc dong Payam, said the cattle keepers did not come with firearms this year.
“Our cooperation with the pastoralists has dramatically improved this year, and the seasonal migration period ended without any problems, although there were some slight mistakes that were always settled by the local chiefs and county authorities,” he said.
Angelina Akuol, a female farmer in Jur River County, said the herders were not hostile to the local farmers when they moved to their areas for pasture.
“There used to be problems in the past, but with the Marial-Bai Agreement, which was initiated by UNDP, the cattle keepers were not hostile this time,” she said. “They used to graze their cattle on our crops, resulting in conflicts, but this time, the good relationship has been restored.”
For his part, Luciano Thomas Abdalla, the deputy chairperson of the pastoralists’ and farmers’ peace mitigation committee, said the improvement was the outcome of the government’s commitment to mitigate violence between the two groups.
“From January up to now, the implementation of the agreement between cattle keepers and farmers has improved through UNDP, the state government, and other organizations,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lucia Jovaani, the UNDP representative, welcomed the cooperation between the two farming communities.
Ann Daniel Alii, a director in the state peacebuilding ministry, urged farmers and cattle keepers to continue with the same spirit of peaceful coexistence.
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