12/08/2026
It was our pleasure to facilitate an intensive, two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop for Civil Society leaders on: Understanding Pastoralism, Seasonal Mobility, Land Tenure, Climate Change, and Peaceful Coexistence in South Sudan. In a nutshell, this South Sudan National Land Coalition (SSNLC) initiative, supported by the International Land Coalition (ILC), is geared toward attaining structured pastoralist seasonal mobility, climate-resilient rangeland management, conflict prevention, and community peacebuilding.
Historically, the nexus between pastoralism and conflict in South Sudan and elsewhere in Africa has been complex. Intra-pastoralist conflict, as well as conflict between pastoralists and crop farmers, is rife in South Sudan.
As the most vital socioeconomic sector for pastoralist communities, which remains highly susceptible to climate change, diseases, conflicts, and other ecological constraints, interstate adaptive migration is becoming increasingly inevitable. Conversely, ambiguous pre-migration mechanisms between prospective migrants and host communities, unclear migratory routes, unpredictable migration patterns and return periods, and inadequate dispute resolution and compensation protocols especially within the Equatoria region have set a precedent for conflict between pastoralists and crop farmers.
In some parts of South Sudan, such as Western Bahr el Ghazal, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, and the Abyei Administrative Area, framework agreements have successfully prevented/reduced conflicts. Key examples include the Marial Bai Agreement, the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya Cross-Border Agreement, and the Dinka Malual and Rizeigat Agreement. These frameworks help manage pastoralists migrating seasonally in search of pasture and water.These agreements cover the critical concerns of farming communities and outline the obligations of migrants. They are reviewed and updated annually with facilitation from UNIMISS, the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), and other international partners.
Key features of the agreements include:
1. Weapon control: Migrating pastoralists must not be armed.
2. Permission and notification: Migrating pastoralists must carry a letter from their recognized community leaders at their point of origin, addressed to the leaders of the host community.
3. Commitment to dispute resolution mechanisms.Commitment to compensation.
4. Commitment to grazing within a designated area.
5. Commitment to accepted entry and exit periods, among others.
6. Use of designated migratory routes.
These measures have proven effective in those regions and should be replicated in other parts of South Sudan to sustain peaceful pastoralist mobility while preventing further conflict, protecting farms, enhancing food security, and promoting peaceful coexistence among communities.
