Somaliland Archives - Page 594 of 752

Somalia:Kismayo Leaders Conference on the National Consultative Forum

Somaliland Goth Mohamed - January 18, 2016 0

COMMUNIQUE Kismayo-18th January 2016-The Leaders Conference of the National Consultative Forum (NCF) was held in Kismayo on 10- 16 January 2016. The conference convened President...

New entrepreneurs build Somaliland

Somaliland Goth Mohamed - January 18, 2016 0

The stability in Somaliland attracts many from the Diaspora in Sweden and other countries to return. They help to build up home again. Abdirahman Jama...

Somalia:Prime Minister Sharmake Strongly condemns the El Adde Terrorist Attack

Somaliland Goth Mohamed - January 18, 2016 0

Kismayo 18th January 2016-----The Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia H.E. Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke unreservedly condemns the barbaric attack carried out by...

Parkinson’s disease: waiting for the hope to cure a life sentence

Somaliland Goth Mohamed - January 18, 2016 0

Neuroscience offers hope for developing new treatments for Parkinson’s disease. Shutterstock January 18, 2016 My life changed on a cold, dark, rainy January morning in...

Somaliland:Islamic Banking Vs Riba Banking

Somaliland Goth Mohamed - January 17, 2016 0

Introduction: SOMALILAND has been standing on its own two feet for the last twenty years. And it is doing relatively well! On the whole, self-rule...

Somaliland:SL set to Host Major Trade and Investment Summit in July 2016

Somaliland Goth Mohamed - January 17, 2016 0

By Goth Mohamed Goth Mr. Kebour Ghenna , the Executive Director of Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry – PACCI who is currently visiting...

Somalia: How to break the power-sharing deadlock

Somaliland Goth Mohamed - January 17, 2016 0

The National Consultative Forum held in Kismayo ended in deadlock. As leaders prepared to leave the city for the capital and other federal states...

Somaliland:State carries out Executions for the second time in a month

Somaliland Goth Mohamed - January 17, 2016 0

By Goth Mohamed Goth January-17-2015- Somaliland government has for the second time in a month carried out executions among them Ms. Muna Mohamed ,37yrs and...

Somaliland:More graduate study, new facilities for top university

Somaliland Goth Mohamed - January 16, 2016 0

By Ahmed Mahmoud Elmi 16 January 2016 Somaliland’s Minister of Education and Higher Studies Abdillahi Ibrahim Habane was among 75 students who graduated last month with...

Somaliland:The National voter’s registration process Kicks off in Togdheer Region

Somaliland Goth Mohamed - January 16, 2016 0

By Goth Mohamed Goth Burco- The national voter’s registration process today officially began in the country with the process kicking off in Burao Toghdeer region. The...

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APO

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JUBA, South Sudan, June 18, 2025/APO Group/ --

As morning breaks, the vast and open plains of South Sudan’s Lakes state are filled with sounds of cattle and the overwhelming smell of smoke.

It is at this relatively quiet time, that a team from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and state authorities from the Ministry of Peacebuilding set out on a drive.

They aim to meet herders, armed youth, and residents in cattle camps that dot the landscape. Why? To hear their concerns and discuss the possibility of a future without violence.

For generations, cattle have been a symbol of wealth and pride across Lakes. And, in recent years, they have also become a source of deadly conflict. Cattle theft, revenge raids, and competition over water have left a trail of grief in local communities with countless lives lost and properties destroyed.

At one such cattle camp called Buol, 24-year-old herder Makur Magor Bok stands firm at the centre of a gathering. A seasoned cattle keeper despite his age, Makur carries a weapon, not out of malice, he says, but out of necessity. “If I knew my cattle and my family were safe, I would give up my gun today,” he says, gesturing to the automatic rifle slung across his shoulder. “We are not criminals, we are just afraid.”

Makur told Civil Affairs officers from the UN Peacekeeping mission that thieves had stolen one of his rifles, along with phones and solar chargers. Though he knew who was responsible, he made a decision that surprised many in his community. “I could have tracked them and fought with them, retrieved my belongings and avenged myself, but I remembered the peace messages I heard from UNMISS before. You said revenge only brings more killing,” he explained. “So I reported them to the traditional authorities. I want to believe in the law, not in a gun and, hopefully, I won’t be disappointed”

His unprecedented choice—to trust the system instead of fuelling the cycle of violence—sparked a debate among his peers. Some responded with irony, while others said that they had seen enough of their people die over senseless quarrels.

In another nearby cattle camp, Abuok Deng, a 17-year-old girl, shared her fears. “We sleep in fear. On any given night, someone might raid us. I think to myself that maybe this is the night I lose my baby brother; maybe this is the night someone hurts me,” she exhales, with looking out into the distance. “We need safety.”

The team of government peacebuilders and UNMISS peacekeepers listened intently and responded with strong messages on conflict resolution, the power of dialogue, and the importance of community-led peace. “This visit is not about disarming people,” stated Ruby Awude, a Civil Affairs Officer. “It is about creating the kind of peace and safety in communities that makes carrying a gun unnecessary.”

As twilight fell, the team left behind more than just words: they left seeds for lasting peace. Whether these take root depends not only on institutional change but also on the courage of individuals like Makur and Abuok.

Their words reflect the hope that still flickers in Lakes state: that even in a place tormented by cycles of conflict, there are those who choose peace.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).