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STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / LAKE YIROL FLOODING
TRT: 04:09
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 10 SEPTEMBER 2024, YIROL, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Wide shot, UN vehicles driving through flooded area
2. Wide shot, flooded residential area with Tukuls under water
3. Med shot, woman wading through flood waters
4. Med shot, woman drying wet household items on high ground
5. Wide shot, cows moving through flood waters in front of UN convoy
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Nyanhok Malou Mario, Lakes State Minister of Peace Building:
“When the other community, those who will be affected by the floods, especially from Unity State come on this side of Lakes, they should be welcome by our community and live at peace among themselves. Considering the issues they have had in the past, obviously if we don’t do it, then it means that they wouldn’t welcome them and, already, they were having issues at their borders where Panyijjar were banned from coming.”
7. Wide shot, overturned truck in the flood waters Various, UN vehicles moving through the flood waters
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Chol Kuotwel Manhom, Lakes State Minister of Local Government and Law Enforcement Agencies:
“Over the years, the relationship between the two states is not all that good in terms of peace. There have been rampant cattle raiding and revenge killings along our common border. We, in Lakes State, have managed to bring peace among our communities. Lake State is now peaceful, but that peace is not complete because we are not peaceful with our neighbours. So, we are reaching out to our neighbouring communities so that we have peace across our common borders.”
9. Various shots, UN vehicles moving through the flood waters
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Panyijjar County Commissioner, Gabriel Majok Bol Ruei: “We came through the riverside and spent two nights and two days moving because the flowing of water is too difficult. Even we came with two motorboats, and one of the motorboats got a technical problem in the riverside so we are so tired together with the participants that we are coming together."
11. Wide shot, people standing outside Peace dialogue
12. Med shot, People walking into peace dialogue
13. Med shot, group having discussions outside peace dialogue
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Gibril Turay, Civil Affairs Officer, UNMISS:
“Once we get the resolutions, then we are also going to have some serious partnerships with UN agencies and other international Non-Governmental Organizations to see how we can provide livelihoods among those particular communities. Number two, also look at developing projects, if funded, how they can be implemented to ensure that there is reconciliation and accountability. There will be no sustained peace or true reconciliation without accountability and justice.”
15. Med shot, children playing in flood waters
16 Wide shot, flooded shelters on the road side
17. Wide shot, displaced people shelters
The devastation caused by extreme flooding ravaging South Sudan is easy to see while navigating the treacherous road to Yirol. Entire communities have been wiped out. Their tukuls are submerged in rapidly rising waters and their few salvaged belongings are scattered across whatever high ground they can find.
Not only are these communities coping with their own crisis, but they are also trying to accommodate thousands of displaced people arriving from neighbouring Unity State. This is fueling tensions over access to scarce resources as cattle keepers from Panyijjar, in Unity, move their stock across the border to Yirol, Lakes State, occupying land used by local communities to cultivate their crops.
Nyanhok Malou Mario, Lakes State Minister of Peace Building said, “when the other community, those who will be affected by the floods, especially from Unity State come on this side of Lakes, they should be welcome by our community and live at peace among themselves. Considering the issues they have had in the past, obviously if we don’t do it, then it means that they wouldn’t welcome them and, already, they were having issues at their borders where Panyijjar were banned from coming.”
These communities are already suffering from persistent incidents of cross-border cattle raiding and revenge attacks, resulting in loss of life, destruction of property, and theft of livestock.
Chol Kuotwel Manhom, Lakes State Minister of Local Government and Law Enforcement Agencies said, “over the years, the relationship between the two states is not all that good in terms of peace. There have been rampant cattle raiding and revenge killings along our common border. We, in Lakes State, have managed to bring peace among our communities. Lake State is now peaceful, but that peace is not complete because we are not peaceful with our neighbours. So, we are reaching out to our neighbouring communities so that we have peace across our common borders.”
Peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan navigated the heavily flooded roads and bridges to facilitate a peace dialogue between the communities in Yirol to address climate, peace and security concerns. The Panyijjar County Commissioner demonstrated his commitment to peace by making his way south to the forum along the swollen river by boat.
Panyijjar County Commissioner, Gabriel Majok Bol Ruei said, “we came through the riverside and spent two nights and two days moving because the flowing of water is too difficult. Even we came with two motorboats, and one of the motorboats got a technical problem in the riverside so we are so tired together with the participants that we are coming together."
The forum aims to support peaceful conflict resolution, empower county authorities to foster peace and stability, promote the role of women and youth, and help communities find their own solutions.
Gibril Turay, Civil Affairs Officer, UNMISS said, “once we get the resolutions, then we are also going to have some serious partnerships with UN agencies and other international Non-Governmental Organizations to see how we can provide livelihoods among those particular communities. Number two, also look at developing projects, if funded, how they can be implemented to ensure that there is reconciliation and accountability. There will be no sustained peace or true reconciliation without accountability and justice.”
While youth seem able to find joy in any disaster, their families are not so resilient as they confront conflict, a dire humanitarian and economic situation, and now the loss of everything they own due to the climate crisis.
Despite this, their commitment to peace is real as they put their personal suffering and differences aside to build sustainable peace together.
