Five counties of Upper Nile, Akoka, Balliet, Fashoda, Panyikang and Makal convened in a three-day workshop 05-07 April 2022, to discuss inter-county co-existence on peace, food insecurity and development.

County commissioners, members of state legislative assembly, community leaders, women and youth representatives from across Upper Nile in South Sudan came together in a workshop- a forum comprise of only five out of thirteen counties, to discuss key issues that trigger conflicts between the communities across these five counties.

The local authorities and the legislators have a crucial role in resolving disputes, things to do with issues of land and boundaries ownership, food security.

This forum came as result of recommendation accepted at a recent traditional authority workshop in Malakal.

Nazur Shoury Wad Ajak, Community Leader, Akoka county, said, “Currently we are experiencing hunger due to previous floods that destroyed all the crops and other plants. [Our] houses [are] submerged in water and destroyed. We are now staying in makeshift [shelters] outside the residential area and the five counties were affected too by floods.”

For her part Nyaman Nyajwok, a member of the state legislative assembly signed the action plan document and promised to monitor its implementation.

“I am a witness as a member of parliament; we shall be monitoring the implementation [plan of action] because it’s our responsibility in the legislative assembly,” Nyajwok said.

The state Ministries of Local Government and Law Enforcement and Peacebuilding will work to execute the plan of action and priorities.

Thon Mum Kijok, state Minister of Local Government and Law Enforcement, said that “each [county] commissioner will take a signed copy of this document [action plan] and implement it."

"The state [government will give] special consideration as their [county] demand will be incorporated into the [budget] plan of the Ministry of Local Government and Law Enforcement,” Kijok added.

The three-day workshop was jointly organized by the UNMISS Civil Affairs Division and government partners.

For Christian Mikala, UNMISS Human Rights Officer and Acting Head of Field Office, “the more you develop this action plan, the prouder you will become of having achieved something after having spent a lot of time, energy together in this room hall."

"We need to see something coming out of it [action plan], the government needs to see something coming out of it, UNMISS needs to see also the results of what you have done here,” Mikala said.