Mobile peace campaigns have brought hope to cattle camps in Terekeka, according to UN Mission in South Sudan, or UNMISS Civil Affairs Division.
UNMISS organized the campaign in partnership with Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, or CEPO.
UNMISS says for years, Terekeka area has been affected by conflicts related to cattle raiding, competition over grazing land and water sources and cycles of revenge attacks.
Despite numerous dialogues and peace conferences, cattle camp leaders have largely been unable to manage and control disputes, UNMISS adds.
‘Conflict in Tijor County has serious impacts for me and my family,’ says Monica Dudu James, a resident of Tijor County in Terekeka, located some 70km north-west of the capital, Juba.
Dudu was one of 32 women attending a mobile peace campaign on March 30, 2019.
‘When fighting happens, we do not have the time to cultivate grain, she notes.
She adds that many of their children have died in these conflicts.
‘I am very happy that this workshop is happening because it has conveyed the message of peace to us. It has given us hope,’ declared Monica.
The mobile campaign brought together over 85 cattle camp leaders, targeting female youth from cattle camps and focusing on how these leaders can diffuse tension.
The workshop is part of a larger mobile campaign to promote peaceful coexistence among the cattle camps of Terekeka State in deep rural areas.
‘We want to encourage you to please manage your disputes in peace,’ said Olivia Victoria Davies from the UNMISS Civil Affairs Division.