FILE PHOTO: Some of chiefs in Jonglei state pose for a photo after a peace conference in Bor - CREDIT | Mach Samuel Peter | April 8, 2016

JUBA, (Eye Radio) – A researcher has called on the government to ensure that traditional leaders are not mobilized for political reasons, but granted autonomy to manage their affairs in a non-political way.

Acuil Malith Banggol is the author of ‘South Sudan Kulena Sawa’, a booklet seeking to highlight the importance of traditional leaders in the constitutional making process.

Mr. Malith made the remarks with reference to the alleged use of numerous tribal or communal leaders and militia groups across South Sudan by politicians to engage in subnational conflicts for their interests.

He said traditional authorities have influence within their communities to mediate disputes and provide guidance based on cultural norms especially in areas where the state may be weak or absent.

“It is not effective to rely on militarized political parties in Juba to share and continue to use their tribe,” said Malith, who’s also the Coordinator at Policy Advocacy and Strategic Studies (PASS), in an exclusive interview with Eye Radio’s Sundown program on Thursday.

“No, give communities and tribes a chance to discuss among themselves of how to stay together and how not to get involved in politics.”

“Let them get involved in their administration. Let them lead their communities into happiness, economic and cultural programs, sharing common grazing zones, and solving dispute among youth through customary institutions.”

“We need to give that chance. But for politicians to abandon popular agenda and go for tribal mobilization, it is absent of national quartal role and functions.”

In his booklet, Malith underlined evidence that the Traditional Authorities in several African countries have been central to promoting, traditional justice systems, conflict resolution and peaceful co-existence among their peoples.

He advocates for the inclusion of Traditional Authorities leaders in the governing system for peaceful co-existence in the country.

“We have to be honest, we need to do liberation today against ourselves to be South Sudanese who are living in peaceful coexistence, having a constitution to govern us, and then we develop and we catch up in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

“We are already going into an artificial intelligence and we need to catch up. We are a resource-based society. We have a lot of natural resources. So, we need to rally these natural resources and we do trade. We process, we trade and we’ll be rich.”