LOKIRIAMA WOMEN BECOME THE ARBITERS OF PEACE
By George Kamau

11 July 2007 (Africa Interactive News) One of the things pastoralists are notoriously known for is the violent resource-based conflicts that have persistently sent a terrifying shock to the communities and their environments.

Trapped in a cycle of growing poverty, pastoral communities on a cross-border region of Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda known as the Karamojong cluster have become increasingly desperate in recent years. Inadequate representation in government, understaffed security and poor civil administration result in lost livestock and livelihoods for residents. Tribal and ethnic conflicts bring violence. The proliferation of small arms increase cattle raids and this cycle continues when men of one community conduct a raid to acquire more livestock after being raided themselves.

To the residents of Lokiriama division in the western part of Turkana (Loima-Moroto corridor), sustainable peace has been the cry of the residents for years now. They have witnessed numerous incidents of insecurity episodes that have forced them to seek alternative means of restoring the now seemingly elusive necessity for development of the region.

Loima-Moroto corridor has a history of insecurity that dates back to the pre-colonial and colonial times. The elders and Kraal leaders attest to this evolution of mainly violent conflict manifestation that have infested the region and affected their livelihood style, nomadic pastoralism.

“The communities have resorted to arm themselves to protect their territories as well as their source of livelihoods, said a local chief. “It has been a tit for tat game once one community is raided by the other.”

However, a peace building/conflict resolution and natural resource management project run by Practical action in partnership with other NGOs working in the region with funding from the European Commission Humanitarian Organization (ECHO) have and continue to help bring peace among pastoralists and also help silence the gun in the region.

The ECHO funded program brings together community elders from conflicting tribes to discuss the benefits of peace and how to stop escalating violence. The program’s groundbreaking initiatives, like the peace and grazing committees, have established and maintained peace among several ethnic groups. These committees hold dialogue meetings to preach the advantages of peaceful co-existence. Their meetings are held in contested grazing areas, reaching the youths involved in raids and ensuring that peace messages reach those on the frontlines.
Of specific mention, Practical Action works in the region towards silencing the gun as a way of improving livelihoods of these mainly pastoral communities in the region where poverty reigns supreme. This is a region where guns are easily accessible. Unfortunately, the gun has turned the lives of many into a misery.

According to Eric Ogara, the Karamoja cluster area coordinator, the peace building initiative aims at ensuring the scarce natural resources are accessible and shared amongst the ethnic groups during the dry season; mainly the dry season grazing zones. “The scarcity of green pasture and water during drought episodes heightens the tension between these warring communities. To calm them from possible hostilities from their neighbours we advocate for non-violent ways of resolving the issues at the same time putting in place drought preparedness mitigation interventions to ensure there are reliable sources of water to all,” he explained.

Benedict Mukoo explained that the formations of local intra-community as well as inter-region peace building and grazing committees in the region have intensified the fight against the vice: violent conflicts. The strategy aims at involving all the stakeholders in the community to ensure the non-violent peace pact reached at is not breached. This has borne fruits.

“We have tried to end counter raids which is pushing the community further and further to the edge of poverty. This is why I am greatly involved and disturbed whenever I hear that there is no peace in my area,” Phillip Epat, chief Lorengkippi said.

Times have changed

The conflict resolution and grazing committees’ initiative has been a successful tool for opening dialogue between communities in conflict, due in no small part to the great influence these representatives have over warriors. It has raised community awareness of the problems caused by cattle raiding and the need to find ways to share scarce resources. As a result, large-scale community-sanctioned raids have decreased and some communities now allow their former foes’ cattle to graze their land. Groups are also working together to develop inter-ethnic agreements that set out universal punishments for crimes.
Sometimes late last year, some boys from Lokiriama had sneaked into Uganda and stole 50 calves from a Matheniko kraal leader, Lowakabong. They had breached the code of peaceful co-existence with their neighbours, the Matheniko. But instead of celebrating their victory a ‘bizarre’ series of negative reactions followed.

A group of ten women from Lokiriama location led by Cecilia Nakwawi ensured that the calves were tracked, surrendered and eventually handed over to their owners. This was inspired by the recognition of the need to sustain peace between the Turkana and the Matheniko of Uganda. “We have to build and sustain the peace accord between the communities brokered as early as December 1973.”

We called a meeting with the chief in attendance and explained to our husbands that the act would not go unrestrained. “We are the people to stop this. We have to surrender them. We have seen the sense behind peaceful co-existence. We are tired of retrogressive cultural practices of counter raids adored by our people, mainly the illiterate pastoralists. We want all this stopped and support initiatives geared towards positive living put in place since we understand the importance of peace and are prepared to do anything to support it,” she explained.

The position they had taken was a tall order for the women. It needed mobilizing and convincing their men. This took them to the fields to campaign amongst fellow women and men herding their flock. Indeed it is this group of people in the field who traced the destination and hideout for the calves and thereafter rounded them up before returning them to Lokiriama center where they were handed over to their owner, the Matheniko.

“We did not involve the arms of the government or other organizations since we viewed it as a community to community issue that can be resolved peacefully (if involved the issue is sometimes politicized or interfered with which heightens the tension between the conflicting communities),” Teresa Lokamar a member of the women group chipped in.

A kraal member of the Lowakabong kraal, commonly referred to as Tuturia led a team that was to receive the calves. His security was guaranteed. And after the handing over ceremony the visitors were escorted by a select team of men and women to the Kenya-Uganda border, near the Akabaat area to ensure safer passage into Uganda from any untoward act.

Contrary to tradition

The women action was news among members of the Karamoja Cluster. It was unheard of for women to track, return and hand over stolen livestock all in the name of peace. This contrasts with the tradition in earlier years where women were known to spur on would-be raiders or thieves through songs of praise to those who succeed and ridicule to failures.

The Karamoja Cluster has registered episodes of intermittent raids and thefts amongst its members’ warriors. This was so up until the 19th day of December 1973, where the Matheniko and Turkana struck a meaningful peace pact at Lokiriama. It is here that the HATCHET (all sorts of weaponry) was buried by the two communities with the Tepeth invited to take part as observers. That was the only peace agreement known to last over three decades with no reported raid save for isolated thefts recorded between Turkana and Matheniko.

“The past has been bitter and painful to be reminded of especially when one talks of Turkana-Tepeth relationship. The later is alleged to occasionally make ally with Pokot to raid members of the Turkana. “This relationship has left bitter tastes in our mouths. People suffer because of trigger happy youths who do not listen to us,” said Anna Lobuin a member of the women group.

Today, there is absolute peace between the Turkana and Matheniko except for constant planned raids from Pokots and Tepeth meted against Turkana.

“This has dented the image of the Pokots who always speak a different language wherever they attend peace meetings and speak yet another whenever they walk out,” explained mukoo.

From: http://www.africa-interactive.net/index.php?PageID=5140