Gsolomon20’s Weblog

Gabriel Kou Solomon has had a productive month in Juba. He has met with officials at every level of the South Sudan government. As he gathers information, he has made progress in sorting out the interlocking economic and social problems that form the context of child abduction. And more to the point, through his work as a positive ambassador, he reminds those officials that the rest of the world is counting on them to protect their most vulnerable residents – and that we are ready to help.

Of particular note, on April 1 Kou had an hourlong meeting with Kuol Manyang Juuk, the governor of Jonglei state, the epicenter of the wave of child abductions. South Sudan President Salva Kiir had, in an interview with WCCO-AM’s Jack Rice, emphasized low fertility rates in one tribe as driving some of its members to abduct children. However, Governor Kuol downplayed the importance of infertility. He said an improved water supply would increase cattle herds, thus reducing the incentive for cattle raiding, which is often accompanied by child abduction. He also emphasized the need for paved roads so that authorities can pursue abducors.

On a heartening note, the Governor told Kou that he would, “personally supervise and organize peace and reconciliation between Dinka, Nuer, Murle and other state ethnic groups.” The Governor said that such an intertribal reconciliation effort is being prepared with support from the NGO Pact Sudan. Governor Kuol invited Kou to participate in the reconciliation process.

Kou followed up on plans for this “Ethnic Peace Conference” by meeting on April 11with John Batale, South Sudan Director for Child Welfare. Batale is trying to gather the chiefs of the Bor Dinka and Murle communities for a “workshop.” Batale recently traveled to Jonglei state to discuss child protection/abduction issues with the state-level Ministry of Gender, Social Welfare and Religious Affairs.

Batale told Kou he was disappointed in the government’s slow reaction to child abduction to date. Batale is pressing the South Sudan Parliament to form a commission to pass (much-delayed) legislative proposals on child protection and child abduction. At the least, passage of those bills would provide a symbolic platform. But Batale perceives a low level of interest among Members of Parliament.

Also heartening, Batale told Kou that he had raised the case of Yar and Ajak in large meeting of NGO officials. Kou raised Yar and Ajak’s case with the Undersecretary for the Ministry Internal Affairs, Lt. Gen. Peter Athieu, and the Undersecretary for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, George Garang Deng.

Kou had a valuable meeting on April 10 with Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior, Presidential Adviser on Gender and Human Rights. De Mabior has a panoramic understanding of the economic and social problems and how they could be improved. She said the Government of South Sudan (GOSS) should build medical facilities in Jonglei’s Pibor County to help the community with fertility and disease control; provide aid for veterinary care for cattle; and train Murle people in digging boreholes for drinking water. De Mabior also saw a need for the GOSS to run a community-based educational program emphasizing the injustice of child abduction, along with general education for women and children.

However, De Mabior said current insecurity in Pibor is an obstacle to any such interventions. Only soldiers can enter Pibor County; aid workers will not. South Sudan needs cops: De Mabior said that under the current system, each county, no matter how large, is allocated only 90 police officers.

Kou’s research is still broad-based, but he is beginning to zoom in on a few issues including intertribal reconciliation. Kou is at the top of his game as a thinker, researcher and advocate. He thanks all his supporters back here whom he knows are rooting for him.