An armed cattle keeper walks with his cows during a seasonal migration of cattle for grazing near Tonj, South Sudan, Feb. 16, 2020. | Photo credit: VOA

The Minister of Local Government in Lakes State said efforts are underway to regulate cattle grazing as herders from different communities converge at swampy areas in order to mitigate conflicts among them.

Mabor Meen Wol said communities are sharing scarce resources during floods and dry spells, often leading to violent conflict among different people in the past.

Minister Wol said the move is to mitigate conflicts and other vices associated with movement of cattle.

“The technical work of my office and the office of peacebuilding and commissioners will organize with the chiefs and Gelweng how the movement of the cattle to toich (swampy areas) will be done,” he told the media.

“This is to regulate implications of the problems within swamps. So, it is a right of the government to regulate the movement of the cattle so that it does not bring about conflicts in swampy areas.”

According to the regulation, cattle keepers are required to seek permission before moving cattle to the toich areas.

Nyanhok Malou Marial, the Minister of Peacebuilding for Lakes State added that the accumulation of multitude of cattle in one pasture land by people who had disputes in their communities, has triggered violence in the past.

“Most of them have issues within the villages and the cattle camp is where they all mix and try to rare the cattle in the same place.”

“So, it is in the mind of the government that if these people are not talked to, if these issues are not resolved issues before they go and stay in the cattle camp, then there will be incidents.”

The annual migration of pastoralists across South Sudan has traditionally created tension between cattle herders and local farmers as they battle for access to scarce resources during the dry season.