By Matik Kueth
A three-day community peace dialogue between Mayom County of Unity State and Abiemnom County of the Ruweng Administrative Area (RAA) kicked off in Juba on Monday, aiming to foster reconciliation and restore peaceful coexistence between the two sisterly communities.
The conference, held under the theme “Together for Healing, Harmony, and Shared Prosperity,” was organized by the People’s Initiative in collaboration with Brethren Global Services (BGS).
The initiative comes after President Kiir urged peaceful coexistence between the communities of Ruweng and Unity State on April 16 in the aftermath of recent violent clashes between armed youth from Mayom and Abiemnhom counties, which resulted in the overrun of Abiemnom County by armed youth from Mayom, killing 48 people and injuring over 30 others.
In his remarks during the opening session, Giel Thou, a Member of Parliament representing Mayom County in the National Transitional Legislative Assembly (NTLA), shed light on the historical origins of the people of Abiemnom County, also known as Bul Alor.
According to him, the settlement of the Abiemnom people in the area dates back to the time of Manytuil Wechjang, the father of former Unity State Governor Joseph Nguen Manytuil, who allocated the land to them.
“The people of Abiemnom are part of the Bul-Nuer clan of Mayom County. When they came to Mayom, they were given that land by the late. Manytuil Wechjang, who’s the father of Joseph Nguen Manytuil. We know how they were given that land. They are our brothers,” Thou said.
He emphasized that the people of Abiemnom are part of the Bul-Nuer clan of Mayom County, despite the recent administrative reallocation of the area to the Ruweng Administrative Area (RAA).
“Even though they were recently separated from Mayom, for them to become an independent county, five payams of Mayom County were counted because it was only making up one payam only. So, what happened wasn’t plan,” he stated.
Thou called for a comprehensive investigation into the April attack on Abiemnom County, allegedly carried out by armed youth from Mayom, urging both state and national officials to address the root causes of the conflict.
“So, there’s a need for us to look into what happened and I urge our all the officials, all of us to investigate what happened,” he stressed.
Moses Pieny Deng, an NTLA member representing Mayom County, stressed the importance of holding grassroots peace dialogues to prevent a recurrence of such violence.
“Peace must start from the ground. Only through local dialogue can we rebuild trust and prevent future tragedies,” Deng said.
However, Monyluak Goudi Ayom, a member of the NTLA representing Abiemnhom county, echoed Thou’s sentiments, noting that Abiemnom was once a Payam of Mayom County before it became a separate county.
“We are brothers. The Bul-Nuer of Mayom and the Bul-Alor of Abiemnom share one identity. Our future depends on peaceful coexistence,” Ayom said.
Meanwhile, Kur Kuot, Head Chief of Abiemnom County, said the April violence may have been politically motivated.
He urged leaders from both sides to promote messages of unity and peaceful coexistence.
“Let us not allow politics to divide us. As leaders, we must guide our people back to peace,” Kuot said.
Historical context
Abiemnom County was once part of Mayom County until 2004, when it was granted separate status.
The residents, known as Bul-Alor, are part of the Bul-Nuer clan. Abiemnom became part of Ruweng in 2015 and was later administratively paired with Parieng County to form the Ruweng Administrative Area (RAA) when South Sudan’s state structure was reverted from 32 to ten in February 2020.
The peace conference brought together national and local government figures, traditional leaders, and faith-based members of both countries in an effort to mend fractured ties and ensure long-term peace between the two historically connected communities.