Machar Mathiang, 30, sits under a massive mango tree, head slightly tilted with his right hand resting on his temple. He listens attentively to tales about the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, where hundreds of thousands innocent civilians were killed because of their ethnicity. 

“Today they are living together side-by-side; not as Hutu or Tutsi, but as Rwandans,” says Benjamin Makur, a Civil Affairs Officer serving at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). “If they can do it, so can you.”

Machar says he was one of the ring leaders in the deadly ethnic clashes between the Panawur tribe and the Panagoung tribe that have been ongoing since 2014.

“I was part of the problem,” he says. “But now I am tired of fighting, I have chosen the path of peace and given up my gun.”

The UN Mission’s Field Office in Rumbek is supporting a peace mediation process in Abyei-Cok, 42 kilometers outside of Rumbek in the Western Lakes region of South Sudan. The process aims to help end the conflict between the two warring tribes that has resulted in hundreds of deaths, rape, cattle raiding, looting and displacement.

The United Nations team, together with local authorities, met with the Panawur community to hear their grievances, and will soon have a similar meeting with the Panagoung. It is hoped that the two sides can be brought together to agree on a way to restore peace and ensure that both tribes can live together in harmony.

“We want to listen to both parties to the conflict, help build durable peace so that they can live together as brothers and sisters,” said UNMISS’ Civil Affairs Officer, Gibril Allan Turay.

A 13-member Peace and Reconciliation Committee has been formed to mediate between the Panawur and the Panagoung.

“Only a few kilometers separates these two communities; but each side is scared to cross the road or go to the market because of fear of being killed by the other side,” said the Chairman of the Peace and Reconciliation Committee, Maciu Jieng Bang. “This is not a way to live; we need to put an end to this.”

Victoria Amal Dongrin, 49, is one of the three female members of the Peace and Reconciliation Committee. She has lost two of her sons in this tribal war.

“I felt like dying when I heard my children had been killed. I wanted to die and be buried in the same grave,” Victoria says, but quickly adds:

“Avenging their deaths will not bring them back. I cannot stand this war anymore; it has to end.”

Efforts are underway by local authorities to stop the proliferation of small arms among civilians in what they call a “voluntary disarmament process.” It is hoped that this process will reduce deaths.

“What is encouraging the conflict is these small arms, but the government is now disarming the civilian population, and everyone will be relaxed, and they will accept the peace. This peace is going to be achieved,” says Douny County Commissioner, Abraham Gop Achien.

The conflict between the Panawur and the Panagoung is not unique. Tribal wars and revenge killings have been rampant in South Sudan. As a part of its mandate, the UN Mission has committed to continue supporting the peace process so that the people of South Sudan can live without fear, enjoy durable peace, and hope for a brighter tomorrow.