KUAJOK — The Apuk-Giir community of Gogrial East County in Warrap State and the Marial-Wau community of Western Bahr El Ghazal State have committed to peace aimed at ending their long-running dispute over the Manyang-Tharkueng border area.
The commitment was made at the conclusion of a week-long peace dialogue held in Luony-Aker Payam of Gogrial East County on Sunday.
The dialogue brought together community chiefs, religious leaders, state officials, and senior government figures to address persistent insecurity along territorial borders.
The conference was organized by the two governors of Warrap and Western Bahr el Ghazal in collaboration with church leaders, under the leadership of Bishop Moses Deng Bol, Archbishop of the Northern Bahr el Ghazal Internal Province.
The Manyang-Tharkueng dispute has remained a source of tension between the two communities, with both sides laying competing claims to the area.
The recent clashes have resulted in deaths, including among members of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF).
Speaking during the conclusion of the dialogue on Sunday, Warrap Governor Amb. Bol Wek Agoth said peace dialogue addressed the root causes of the conflict and ensured that those responsible for violence are held accountable.
“This joint peace initiative carries hope for all victims of this conflict. It is in our interest to ensure that culprits who murdered innocent civilians are apprehended and that looted properties are returned to their owners,” Wek said.
Wek said the state governments listened directly to affected communities in an effort to develop comprehensive and binding resolutions capable of providing a foundation for lasting peace.
Governor Wek warned civilians against attacking government installations, following reports of an attack on SSPDF positions in the Manyang area in which soldiers were killed.
“Any individual or group found to have carried out such an attack on the military installations will be dealt with unapologetically.”
He said the two state governments would work with the national government to examine historical and colonial records to help establish the border that had traditionally been used for local administration.
“Both state governments pledge our commitment to consult with the national government and inspect colonial archives to ascertain the true borderline that historically served both great communities in the interest of peace and local administration,” he said.
For his part, Western Bahr El Ghazal Governor Sharif Daniel Sharif urged the communities to demonstrate the sincerity of their peace commitment through their actions.
“When the people of Marial-Wau and Apuk-Giir Thiik commit to lasting peace, I will permanently accept the nickname Daniel Mabiordit given to me as a result of the white bull,” Sharif said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Majak D’Agoot, former deputy defense minister who attended the conference, urged the communities to overcome divisions and work together as people of Greater Bahr El Ghazal.
“The people of Bahr El Ghazal have the upper hand in the liberation of this country in many forms. Arabs killed them, destroyed their properties, but they didn’t leave their homes for Arabs upto date,” Majak said.
Majak called on the communities to abandon cycles of violence and embrace peaceful coexistence.
“Dear Brothers, let us live together as people of Greater Bahr El Ghazal and South Sudan in peace. We have taught those who were not used to fighting the spirit of fighting like Equatorians and Luos.”
The peace dialogue ended with hopes that the commitments reached by the communities, chiefs, and state authorities would help prevent further violence and provide a pathway toward resolving the longstanding Manyang-Tharkueng dispute.
The two communities are now expected to abide by the resolutions emerging from the dialogue as state and national authorities continue efforts to establish a lasting solution to the border dispute.
