Strengthening the capacity of traditional leaders in conflict management is necessary to promote social cohesion and create an environment conducive for peaceful co-existence, an UNMISS Civil Affairs official said.

Speaking at the workshop organized by Civil Affairs Division (CAD), Bentiu, for traditional leaders in Rubkona town on “traditional conflict management and conflict prevention methods”, the Officer in Charge in Unity State, Jackline Odero, underlined the vital role of traditional authority in promoting unity and reconciliation in counties and payams among communities divided along political and ethnic lines due to the conflict.

She said effective utilization of local mechanisms is fundamental for conflict prevention to manage and prevent conflicts and build resilience at local level.
 
Such workshop will therefore help to sharpen the skills and enhance knowledge as well as renew resolve of the traditional leaders to work steadfastly at addressing local level conflicts and promoting unity and reconciliation, she noted.

Nyakuma Machar, a participant in the workshop, said, “…reconciliation and forgiveness are the only ways for South Sudanese people to come together as one people”.

She explained the conflict is continuing to create animosity in the communities and without pursuing reconciliation, there cannot be sustainable peace.

Simon Majiok Koang, deputy traditional chief said, “The workshop is important for the traditional leaders because it will help them for their day-to-day work in terms of promoting peace and reconciliation at the community level.”

He said it enabled them to learn that truth telling is a prerequisite for forgiveness and forgiveness is necessary for reconciliation.

The two-day workshop attended by traditional leaders and traditional court drawn from Rubkona County among others, discussed local conflict prevention, inclusion of women in the conflict management processes and the roles of traditional leaders in reconciliation.