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Success Story
Improved water access stems violence among cattle-herding tribes
Dam Helps Reduce Conflict
Photo: AECOM International, Sudan
Youth at the new check dam in Pibor County, Jonglei state, Sudan.
One hundred young Sudanese came together to build a dam. At the same time, they built themselves a stronger future, in which ethnic strife is less of a threat to their livelihood.
Conflict between communities in Southern Sudan is commonly sparked by a struggle over scarce resources, including water and grazing land. But in one community, conflict is diminishing thanks to USAID's support for the construction of a check dam.
The success of the dam, built in Jonglei state's Pibor County, went beyond simply catching and storing rainwater for residents. Its construction also provided 100 local youth with temporary jobs. The infusion of work, wages, and skills into Pibor provided alternatives to banditry and cattle raiding for at-risk youth who lack access to education and economic opportunities.
The dam made it possible for Pibor residents to continue watering their cattle in the Gumuruk area during the height of this year's dry season, reducing pressure on villagers to migrate, which often sparks conflict with neighboring communities. It will provide extra river water to the local population for up to five additional months each year.
The Gumuruk dam was a pilot public works project that aimed to provide broad and immediate benefits to communities in a remote and volatile area.
Pibor County, home of the Murle community, is one of the most isolated and insecure areas in southern Sudan. In March 2009, for example, over 400 Murle, including many women and children, were killed in Lekuangole and Gumuruk payams. Over 2,500 people died as a result of this interethnic violence, many of them in Jonglei state.
The new check dam, located in Gumuruk payam, is near a large population of semi-nomadic cattle keepers who suffer severe water shortages during the dry season and are frequently drawn into conflict with Dinka in Bor and Lou Nuer from Akobo.
Based on the positive impact of the project, USAID is initiating consultations in Pibor to identify sites for two more dams. By improving access to water, USAID can help stem a cycle of resource-based conflict that is thwarting development in Pibor, destabilizing Jonglei, and jeopardizing successful implementation of Sudan's 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
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