Reconciliation Conference Launched Betwen tribes of Ibelli and Agaar from Rumbek East

13 July 2010 - (Rumbek) – Traditional chiefs from Rumbek in Lakes state have launched a four-day reconciliation conference.

The reconciliatory conference started on Monday at Bross Hotel in Rumbek. The conference brings together the two tribes of Ibelli and Agaar from Rumbek East.

The state minister of information and communication, Marik Nanga Marik told SRS in Rumbek on Tuesday that the conference aims at reconciling the two tribes.

[Marik Nanga] “The theme of the workshop is actually ‘peace and reconciliation between Agaar of Rumbek East and Ibelli of Wulu County’. These communities had conflicts in the past and that conflict cost lives and property. So, today we are holding a peace conference to try to bring these communities to the table to discuss these issues such that peace and stability can actually return to the communities of these two counties of Lakes state”

He added that the nature of their problem ranges from cattle raiding to crop damage.

[Marik Nanga] “The nature of the conflict is actually a mixture, because the communities of the two counties are mixed and their homes are side by side. So, their issues were grazing for the cattle because the Ibelli are mostly farmers while the Agaar of Rumbek East are actually cattle keepers. And the whole thing started with the cattle grazing in the farms of the Ibelli and from there it developed to the extent of the destruction of the bee-hive of the Ibelli community by the youth from Agaar so that was the nature of the conflict. It was about the pasture, grazing land and also bee-keeping which is actually the source of livelihood for Ibelli that was interfered with by the youth from Agaar.”

Lakes minister of information and communication Marik Nanga Marik was speaking to SRS in Rumbek on Monday.