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Conflict between Didinga and Toposa in South Sudan

Toposa and Didinga have repeatedly clashed over land, livestock and water in the past. In 2013, however, the two groups could reach a peace agreement and hostilities have ceased.

Conceptual Model

Climate ChangeEnvironmental ChangeFragility and Conflict RisksIntermediary MechanismsChanging climate reduces available natural resources.Reduced availability of/access to natural resources reduces available resources and ecosystem services.Reduced availability of/access to natural resources leads to distributive conflicts between societal groups.A slow change in climatic conditions, particularly temperature and precipitation.Gradual Change in Temperature and/or PrecipitationGrowing, scarcity of essential natural resources.Natural Resource ScarcityReduced availability of essential natural resources, such as land and water.Change in Access / Availability of Natural ResourcesNon-violent or violent tensions and conflicts between different societal groups.Grievances between Societal Groups

Conflict history

Cattle raiding and disputes over land and water have plagued the Didinga and Toposa in the past. After the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Government of Sudan in 2005 relations have improved and the two years following the signing of the peace agreement have been peaceful. However, in 2007 violence broke out again when a Didinga group was attacked by Toposa cattle raiders. At least 54 people were killed during the attack, including 48 women (The Didinga Community, 2007; UCDP, 2015).

One reason for the renewed violence between Toposa and Didinga can be seen in increasing competition over scarce resources, mainly grazing land and water. Maystadt et al. identified temperature anomalies as an important factor exacerbating this situation (Maystadt et al., 2014). From 1997 to 2009, high temperature deviations from the historical mean were found to correlate with an increased frequency of local conflicts in North and South Sudan (UNHCR, 2014; Maystadt et al., 2014).

Another factor contributing to the outbreak of violence in 2007 was the enrolment of many Didinga men in the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, leaving the Didinga community unable to defend itself against Toposa attacks. A factor further compounded by the lack of adequate police protection in Didinga areas (The Didinga Community, 2007).

Actors

Actor
Participation
Functional group
Geographical scale
Didinga community
Didinga community
Participation
Functional group
Civil Society
Geographical scale
Internal grassroots
Toposa community
Toposa community
Participation
Functional group
Civil Society
Geographical scale
Internal grassroots
United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)
United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)
Participation
Functional group
Public
Geographical scale
External
Government of Eastern Equatoria (South Sudan)
Government of Eastern Equatoria (South Sudan)
Participation
Functional group
Public
Geographical scale
Internal grassroots
Conflict Party
Conflict Resolution Facilitator

Conflict resolution

In 2013 the Didinga and Toposa reached a peace agreement and vowed to end hostility (Nakimangole, 2013). In March 2014 a second peace conference was organised by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the East Equatorian State Government, which was attended by leaders of both groups. During the peace talks, cattle raids were condemned and the state government agreed to deploy police personnel into the area (UNMISS, 2014). Since then hostilities between Toposa and Didinga have ceased.

Resilience and Peace Building

3

Peacekeeping

The state government agreed to deploy police personnel into the area.

3

Dialogue

A peace conference was organized by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the East Equatorian State Government in 2014.

4

Treaty/agreement

The Didinga and Toposa reached a peace agreement in 2013.