Gathering for Peace - Participatory · PDF file4 Gathering for peace ... neighbouring Isa clan of Somali region. ... according to the traditional system of conflict resolution

Gathering for peace

15-17 January 2009, Ethiopia, Oromia region, Borana Zone, Mudhisellu

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WRITER

Paul Sullivan

EDITOR

Sarah Wilson

CONTENT EDITOR

Boku Tache

ART DIRECTOR / DESIGNER

Sylwia Pecio

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Petterik Wiggers

Sylwia Pecio

TRANSLATOR

Samson Tafera

CAMERAMEN

Sisay Teshome

Ezedin Kedir

Habtamu Addis

PRINTER

x

SPECIAL THANKS

Alastair Scott-Villiers

Ibrahim Abate

Murha Abekari

Nura Dida

Patta Scott-Villiers

3Gathering for peace

Welcome 9 The Oromia Pastoralists Association 12 Justice and Peace 14Pastoralists Talk 27 Governments Talk 35 Looking to the Future 42 Final Word 45

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Gathering for peace4

Forty- two kilometres south of Yaballo,pastoralists from Kenya and from all corners ofEthiopia gathered in a remote, beautiful valleyto talk about peace. Some delegates travelledfor eight days to reach the meeting place.Latecomers were shown to their tents by thelight of kerosene lamps that twinkled in thenight. Next morning, out of the reach ofmobile phones, the familiar scream of tent zipswas matched by the dawn chorus of outragedweaver birds and the murmur of morningprayers. Under clear skies and an east wind, thedelegates sat on mats under a large acacia treeas the gathering got under way.


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“This is a peace gathering.We expect it to be a gather-ing that develops neigh-bourliness, peace, livingtogether, patience andbrotherhood among pas-toralists. It starts with ablessing by the elders.”

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Nura DidaChairman, Oromia

Pastoralists AssociationHonoured guests; our gathering is a peace

gathering. This gathering is taking place in Oromiaregion, Borana Zone, at a place called Mudhisellu inDambala Wachu Kebele of Dirre District. Welcome!

This is your home, it’s a pastoralist area, so all of youare welcome.

Pastoralists have travelled from many placesfor our peace gathering. From Ethiopia’s regions:Oromia, Somali, Afar, Gambella, and Southern Na-tions and Nationalities. Government officials arealso participating. Our pastoralist neighbours fromKenya and government officials are also here.

The three organisers are the Oromia Pastoral-ists’ Association, the Oromia Regional State Admin-istration and Security Bureau, and the Oromia

Pastoralist Development Commission. In spite ofthis, it’s an Ethiopian pastoralists gathering.

The custom in this area is to slaughter cattleand serve it to guests. The people here have preparedan eight-year-old ox and 10 goats as gifts to the gath-ering. I would like to thank our host community onyour behalf.

This is a peace gathering. We expect it to be

a gathering that develops neighbourliness, peace,

living together, patience and brotherhood among

pastoralists. It starts with a blessing by the elders.

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Boru GodanaBorana Zone Administrator

Pastoralists are among the communities neglectedby previous régimes in our country. The existing gov-ernment, led by EPRDF, is giving special attention topastoralists and is currently working to create an institu-tion that represents pastoralists at country level

Great efforts are being made to create differentgovernment bodies for pastoralist affairs at regional,zonal and woreda level to change the lives of pastoralists.The efforts being made to improve the lives of pas-toralists when they are affected by natural and man-madedisasters will also be strengthened.

Practically speaking, education has increased at ke-bele level in various woredas and hundreds of pastoral-ist children have joined higher institutions. Majoremphasis is also given to health, both human and ani-mal, which is essential for the health of the economy.The regional government is also concerned to solve thekey problem of pastoralists, the water supply. Currently2,000 kms of water development work is taking place inBorana area alone.

Getting back to today’s agenda, peace is cru-

cial and a key matter. In a place where there is

no peace, it is not possible to maintain the ex-

isting social services, let alone build new ones.

Whenever there is conflict, both human andanimal lives are lost. I think these gatherings and dis-cussions we have started are solutions that have uni-versal value.

The Oromia Pastoralists Association (OPA) hassupported the peace process through establishing dif-ferent pastoralist committees and by working togetherwith neighbouring pastoralist committees for peace. Its

results, working together with the govern-ment, are outstanding. I would

like to thank the associationon behalf of pastoralists

in general.I believe much is

expected from all of usin the next three days.We pastoralists need tobring peace and devel-opment to our nation,comparable to othernations.

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“...peace is crucial anda key matter. In a placewhere there is nopeace, it is not possibleto maintain the existingsocial services, letalone build new ones.”

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Nura DidaUnder the current government we are

known as pastoralists, a term that expressesour true identity. We have been gathering inthe shade for eleven years under that name.Thus, since the government has given usrecognition, and is supporting us to get to-gether and discuss issues, we need to play ourrole. This is how we make use of the oppor-tunity that this gathering provides. Pastoralistsfrom Ethiopia and neighbouring nations aregathered here to discuss peace.

Eleven years ago Abdi Abdulahi, whois with us today, initiated discussions with

pastoralists in Guji, Borana, Arsi andnearby Somali regions, and we discussedpastoralist affairs. We discussed whywe were not known as pastoralistsand why we weren’t recognised.These questions were raised in ourfirst meeting at Nagelle Boranaand we also discussed them at the[first Pastoralists’ Day] meetingat Filtu. The need for pastoral-ists’ representatives to speakfor the rights of pastoralistsand the provision of acredit service for pastoral-

ists were other issuesraised at that event.

Pastoralists’ Day hasbeen celebrated every year,

first at regional level, and forthe last four years at federal level,

ever since. Now the 11th annual celebrationwill be held at federal level on January 25th atSemera, the Afar regional capital.

The Oromia Pastoralists Associationwas established in the presence of 75 rep-resentatives from pastoral areas of the re-gion and the Oromia Regional State’sDeputy House Speaker. We achieved recog-nition and were granted a licence before westarted working.

When we started functioning, we or-ganised the Oromia region into three parts:South Oromia, which includes Guji and Bo-rana zonal administrations; South East Oro-mia-Bale, and Central and West Oromia,which includes East and West Hararge. Wehave formed executive committees for eachof these branches and have been making de-cisions and taking action.

The main objective of OPA is to

create the right understanding and

awareness of pastoralists at government

level so that the government will include

pastoralists in its development policies

and programmes and allow them to ben-

efit from development.

We have a wide range of objectives;however we found peace to be a priority and

The Oromia Pastoralists Association

“ The main objec-

tive of OPA is to

create the right un-

derstanding and

awareness of pas-

toralists at govern-

ment level so that

the government will

include pastoralists

in its development

policies and pro-

grammes and allow

them to benefit from

development.”

Gathering for peace

we are working on it. Peace is a priority forthe development of the coming generation.

When we started working, we didn’tleave everything to the government. In-stead, we identified what we can do byourselves as pastoralists for our own peaceand development, and what kind of sup-port we expected from the government.Through interacting with the communityand raising their awareness of the role ofpastoralists and the role of government,we made pastoralists from our region andneighbouring regions equal participants inthe peace process.

There was conflict between Guji, Bo-rana and Gabra when we started and we havebeen working to resolve this (see page 15).OPA has also worked on peace with theKarayu, who live in East Oromia and were inconflict with the Argoba in Amhara regionand with their neighbours in Afar regionaround Awash Fantalle area, as well as inMiesso, an Oromo district in East Oromia,where the residents were fighting with theneighbouring Isa clan of Somali region.

We organised and gathered neighbour-ing pastoralist community representativesand governmental bodies at woreda, zonaland regional levels. We set up a peace com-mittee who followed up the peace processbetween the Karayu and Argoba, theKarayu and Afar, and the Oromos in Miesso

and the Isa. Governmental bodies at dif-

ferent levels participated in the gather-

ings so that they could respond to the

cases concerning them.

OPA has also been involved in experi-ence-sharing gatherings with neighbouringregions’ pastoralist communities so as tostand together in the peace making process.For example, we helped facilitate the Somaliand Oromia pastoralist communities’ gath-ering at Hudet in December 2007.

Similarly, a big gathering was held atNyangatom in Southern Nations and Na-tionalities Regional State with participantsfrom eighteen ethnic groups. We have beentrying to share our experience with ourneighbours so that we can work together.

Among our many activities we havealso represented Ethiopian pastoralists inthe regional council of East Africa, at-tended gatherings in Kenya, Uganda,Switzerland and Spain, shared discussionswith the Prime Minister on higher educa-tion, raised awareness on making the bestuse of cattle and facilitated peace makingforums in Southern Ethiopia.

We have been working on peace be-tween pastoralist communities in south-eastern Oromia and theirneighbours in Somali Region.

We organised various forums togetherwith the government. However weneeded equal support from the Somaliside and also the involvement of the So-mali Regional Pastoralist Council, but be-cause this body was still in the early stagesof its formation, we could not achievemuch on this front. We hope to continuewith this effort now that the Somali Coun-cil is better established.*

All this work on peace and develop-ment was achieved by coordinating withthe government, neighbouring regionalpastoralist councils and most of all withthe community. If we don’t work to-gether, we can’t make change. The dis-cussion agenda is common to us all.We’ll discuss together and we need tobe frank in this gathering. Then I be-lieve we’ll make our gathering suc-cessful. * After the gathering, in February2009, OPA came together withthe Oromo and Somali Regionalgovernments and the SomaliPastoralist Council to facil-itate peace discussionsbetween the Somaliand Oromo clansliving in the MadaWalabu area.

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“Governmental bodies at differentlevels participated in the gatheringsso that they could respond to thecases concerning them.“


Justice and Peace

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Nura DidaMaking peace between Gabra,

Guji and BoranaWe met representatives of each group at a place

called Hallona in Arero woreda to resolve the conflictbetween them, our first attempts at peace making.Oxfam America financed us and the Ethiopian RedCross Association was also present. We resolved the con-flict with the participation of the three groups. The peacemaking was achieved through the customary Gada insti-tution. The Gada leaders (Abbaa Gadaa) made decisionsaccording to the traditional system of conflict resolution.

These were their decisions: to punish a murdererwith a fine of thirty head of cattle; to punish a thief whosteals a cow with a fine of five head of cattle.

Then we formed a peace committee of represen-tatives of the three groups to ensure they followed upand monitored the peace keeping. The committee meetsfrom time to time to discuss peace issues and to resolveconflicts in their area.

Utukana MalloChairman of Borana, Guji and

Gabra Peace CommitteeThere were conflicts between Borana, Guji and

Gabra (from 1997 to 1999 Ethiopian Calendar [2004-7]).There were thefts, people were dying and were displaced.

Since the OPA interventions we have been able tomove from place to place peacefully. We tried to encour-age all parts of society to participate in the peace makingprocess. The peace gathering was effective, learning fromthe previous ones, with the participation of all sections ofthe community, women, youth and elders.

The thirty-member committee was formed by se-lecting ten representatives from each of the three groups:Borana, Guji and Gabra. Their main duty is to implementthe decisions made by the gathering, like punishing crim-inals and following up the continuity of the peace processat community level.

The committee has just strengthened the existing,customary way of resolving conflicts within the commu-

nity as they have strengthened their own traditional ad-ministration and institutions. Nothing was added fromoutside. They made their decisions through the traditionalsystem. They have passed punishment decisions.

• A killer must pay a fine of thirty head

of cattle and will be punished by gov-

ernment law.

• One who shoots and wounds must pay

a fine of fifteen head of cattle and be

punished by government law.

• A thief who steals one cow must pay

a fine of five head of cattle and will be

punished by government law.

A great deal of the committee’s work is in pre-venting the problem before it occurs. The committee hasbeen focusing on preventing conflict before it results indestruction. We have worked on preventing conflict inAdolla, Arero, Bulehora, Dugdadawa, Moyale, and Arsiareas, in all areas where Borana, Guji and Gabra live.This work has been appreciated by our neighbours, es-pecially by Garri elders in Somali region. We have doneall these things in cooperation with government bodiesat different levels.

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Nura DidaHere is a question asked by a pastoralist from

Somali Region.

Q. If a murderer has to pay a fine of thirty headof cattle, who is responsible for payment, thekiller or his clan?

A. If the killer has cattle, he is the one to be punishedand must pay thirty head of cattle. If he doesn’t havecattle, his clan has to share the punishment because theyshould have advised him and prevented him from com-mitting the crime.

Melkamu FiqruDeputy Head of Administration

and Security Bureau, Girja

Woreda, Guji ZoneQ. It was said that a killer has to pay a fine offifteen or thirty head of cattle and a thief who

steals one cow has to pay a fine of five head ofcattle. A killer doesn’t usually consult his clan, hiswife or his father before killing someone. It wassaid that his clan must share his punishment.Isn’t this against the law? Doesn’t it put pressureon the people?

Nura Dida A. What we said was that a killer has to pay a fine ofthirty head of cattle, a person who wounds someonehas to pay a fine of fifteen head of cattle, a thief whosteals one cow has to pay a fine of five head of cattle.It’s not against the constitution and the government has

accepted it. The government law will judge criminalsafter they pay the fine, and these people could be re-leased due to lack of evidence when the governmentlaw judges them. The other parties might see them beingreleased and say to themselves “why should I keep my-self from killing these people for they, who killed mypeople, have been released?” Thus we pastoralists pun-ish the guilty one according to our culture so that oth-ers will be discouraged from committing crimes.

This rule has been put into practice, which inturn results in a decrease in crime. It doesn’t harm thepeople or the government in any way. The Guji, Bo-rana and Gabra approved the idea because the tradi-tional Gada law governs them. It doesn’t apply toother regions.

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HajiHawasAbomsaFantalle Woreda,

Oromia RegionQ. Is the rule working practically? Andhow much does it improve things forthe people? Because if this rule bringspeace to the people governed by it, allpastoralists should adopt it.

Utukana Mallo A.The rule is working in practice andhas created peace and security. For ex-ample, last month a Guji man stole tenhead of cattle and was caught at BuleHora Woreda. The thief had 52 cattleof his own and 50 were taken fromhim, leaving him with only two cows.When other thieves heard this story,

they abandoned cattle they had stolenbefore reaching their homes with

them. These stolen cattle werefound and returned to their

owners. The rule benefitedthe people to this ex-

tent and it hasbrought peace.

HassanoIbrooMiesso Woreda, West

Hararghe ZoneQ. It was said that a killer has to pay a fine ofthirty head of cattle. Is this a rule or a constitu-tional law? According to folk talk, public law isnot the same thing as family law and vice versa.Is it family law or cultural law?

Nura DidaA. Oromo is a big society, thus it has various culturaladministrations within it. Culture varies from area toarea. The three groups who declared this rule did soaccording to their culture. It’s not all Oromo societythat is doing this. We are not saying that this is part ofthe culture of the Oromo in Hararghe; we are talkingabout how to resolve conflicts. We are gathered here tocondemn, resolve and prevent conflicts, not just be-tween two groups but among all pastoralists.

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Hon. IssackIbrahimMP for Hudet, Federal House of

Peoples’ Representatives

Q. Who will get the cattle that are taken from thecriminals in fines? Leaders and members of Pas-toralist Councils are here in this gathering. Whenare you going to pass rules like those of the Bo-rana, Guji and Gabra to other pastoralist councilsat regional level?

Nura DidaA. The cattle that are taken from criminals are given tothe victims of the criminals. When conflict breaks outin an area, we use the culture in that particular area toresolve the conflict. For example, if conflict breaks out

between the Oromo and Somali, we form a committeethat includes both parties; we appoint peacekeepers andthey’ll keep the peace. A killer in Oromia has to pay afine of thirty head of cattle, while a killer in Somali hasto pay a fine of a hundred camels. When a person fromone of these groups is killed we may make the fine fiftyhead of cattle, as a basis for negotiation, or we maytake a hundred. Many times, we have been negotiatingaccording to their culture and this is how the reconcil-iation process works and it will continue like this

Ugass MohaedUgass GurraGuradomole Woreda, Somali Region

Q. The three groups, Gabra, Guji and Borana,made an agreement on their rule based on Gada

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law; but have they made anyagreement on their rule withother nearby groups orregions?

Nura DidaA. The traditional reconcilia-tion and rules made betweenthe three groups are for them-selves only. Others can make theirown rules and apply them.

Ugass AbdurahmanAfder Zone, Somali Region

The Afar, Somali and Oromo have different cul-tures, but pastoralists in these regions should take thesedifferent cultures as examples and evolve one culture. Itwould be better if Ethiopian pastoralists discussed mat-ters with a common culture and a common way ofdoing things.

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Tariku SelinaBench-Maji Zone, SNNPRS

We have all travelled long distances for peace. Ayear ago, there was a gathering in Nyangatom. There wemade decisions on solutions for conflict. When we wentback home at least fifteen to twenty people were killedand cattle were stolen, including cattle donated from thegovernment through its safety net program. This wouldnot happen if the decisions were put into practice. Thuswe want our decisions to be practical and appliedthrough community leaders, as others have made theirdecisions practical, and brought peace to their area.

Paul Puok KoalGambella Region

I am a Nuer, one of the five ethnic groups inGambella. There are people who kill intentionally

and people who kill accidentally. If it’s accidental,a killer has to pay a fine of fifty head of cattle.

If it’s intentional, a killer has to pay a fine ofa hundred head of cattle. After a killer has

paid the fine, he’ll be handed over to thegovernment and will be judged by the

law. After paying a fine of a hundredhead of cattle, a killer will not make

the same mistake again.

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Pastoralists talk

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“Hatred is one of thoseproblems that we canalleviate by ourselves. Itmeans that what we saywhen we are sitting to-gether under the shadeof a tree and what wesay when the Oromoare alone, when the So-malis are alone, andwhen the Afar arealone, will be the

same as when weare all together.”

Sultan Mohamed HassanGababaChairman, Somali Region

Pastoralist CouncilFor the past year the Somali Region Pastoralist

Council has been preparing and amending its internal rulesand regulations. Now we are starting work. We are pre-pared to work with others in resolving conflicts. Whenunity and brotherhood strengthen us - and these pastoralcouncils help us to stand together - our vision of peacewill become a reality and we shall solve our problems.

There are three bodies that can contribute to mak-ing this vision of peace a reality: The Government at fed-eral and regional levels, Pastoralists and their associationsand NGOs. If these bodies work hand in hand with onegoal, we can overcome our problems.

Hatred is one of those problems that we can

alleviate by ourselves. It means that what we say

when we are sitting together under the shade of a

tree and what we say when the Oromo are alone,

when the Somalis are alone, and when the Afar are

alone, will be the same as when we are all together. Ifwe agree, then whatever happens to the Afar will concernus as Somalis and will make us feel sad. It’s the same withthe Oromo. Whatever happens to the Gambella or Southpeople will concern us as pastoralists and we should treatany misfortune as if it had happened to us.

Our brotherhood is based on two things, thatwe are pastoralists and that we are Ethiopians.We need to form unity and brother-hood based on these two.

LotikoriYarekalDassenech Woreda,

South Omo ZoneI have participated in such gatherings before. We

had reconciliation at a gathering in Nyangatom and wemade decisions on how to punish criminals. For exam-ple we agreed that a killer has to pay a fine of thirty headof cattle and will also be punished by government law.

In our area, when we started working, we formeda committee including representatives from Turkana,Dassenech, Hamar, Nyangatom, Bench-Maji and Suri.Criminals are punished according to the punishment setfor their crime.

When conflict broke out between the Gabra andBorana with the Dassenech, for example, the peace com-mittee negotiated with them. We are working, but we lackthe financial capacity to strengthen what we are doing.

We come from different directions, we are eatingfrom the same plate, we are gathering at the same place;thus let us continue with the peace we have here. We aretalking about human lives, it’s not something trivial.

When you go home, you need to gather your

people and convince them. You need to disseminate

the information. Don’t just go home and sleep.

Abraham BongossoDirector, AEPDA

(Atowekisi Ekisil Pastoralist

Development Association),

South Omo ZoneWe, South Omo Zone pastoralists, are try-

ing to resolve the source of conflict and securityproblems of pastoralists. We have learnt fromOPA. It’s because of the lessons we learned fromOPA during the Nyangatom gathering that weformed a committee. After that gathering we pas-toralists have been trying to overcome problemsexisting among the seventeen ethnic groups inour Zone.

More forums need to be organised forpastoralists. Forums where pastoralists standtogether and solve their problems will be or-ganised, not only in Oromia, but also inSouthern Nations and Nationalities regionas well. Not just once, but twice or threetimes a year.

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“When you go home, youneed to gather your peo-ple and convince them.You need to disseminate

the information.Don’t just go

home andsleep.”


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Hassan MohamedHassanChairman, Afar Pastoralist Council

When pastoralists began to contact each otherand discuss issues, they raised three main issues with thegovernment:

• The need for a Ministry of Pastoralists

• The need for a Pastoralist Day

• The need for Pastoralist development,

and banking services that use livestock as

collateral.

The need for a Ministry of Pastoralists and theneed for banking services have elicited no response yetwhile the rest is progressing.

We established the Afar Pastoralist Council lessthan a year ago. Since then we have been able to organ-

ise three big gatherings in which Somali and Oromo pas-toralists participated. We discussed how to achieve ourgoals of peace within Afar and neighbouring regions’pastoralist development and how to raise the voice ofpastoralists in Ethiopia, Africa and globally.

We are prepared to have discussions withour neighbours in Tigray, Amhara, Oromia and So-mali regions. We agreed with OPA to work more closelytogether, particularly between the Afar and Oromo. Wealso talked with the Somali, especially about the con-frontation between the Isa clan of Somali and the Afar,and we have a plan to take a step forward. We believewe’ll accomplish our plan.

Sekko MohamedSaidDeputy Chairman,

Afar Pastoralist CouncilToday the Oromia, Somali and Afar Councils have

common views and we are working on the same objectives.We need to strengthen pastoralist unity for pas-

toralist peace. Forming these councils is helping us tosolve our problems. Here, not only Ethiopians but alsoKenyans are gathered with us. Tomorrow I hope we’llgather at pan-African level and then globally.

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Rhamsy ChuolGambella Region

Peace will not just happen. We have to struggle,we have to use all our strength, all our ideas, all ourthinking to achieve peace.

Gambella was not known as a pastoralist area

just three years ago, but we are a big pas-toralist region. We are in conflict with the

Murille and the Nuer from Southern Sudanand we are unable to resolve it. From Sudan

they cross the border, they come and raid ourcattle, kill our people and go. Previously we usedto fight them because we were armed and wewould chase them away and protect our cattle.

But now we have handed in our arms to the gov-ernment. We need protection from the governmentfor our people and our wealth. We recognise that it isdifficult because these people are coming from an-other country.

When we go back, we’ll try our best to put theseideas [of forming associations and working on peace]into practice. I ask you to fight peacefully, let us try

to fight for our very existence, for the existence

of our wealth: cattle, camel, sheep and so forth

so that we can become a new wealthy society.

“I ask you to fightpeacefully, let us try tofight for our very exis-tence, for the existenceof our wealth: cattle,camels, sheep and soforth so that we canbecome a new wealthysociety.”

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Chief TuyeKatello Kenya Government representative

from Dukana, Upper Eastern

ProvinceWhen we gather together most of us are happy

about peace. But there might be some among us whoare unhappy. If there is such a person he had betterwash his heart.

We [the Gabra] were fighting the Borana from2004 to 2007. Many people died on both sides. Many

animals were stolen. At first the governmentstopped the war but it did not end. On one

particular day, we fought and the nextday both sides added reinforce-

ments and the fight endedthe day after. It was

as if both sides received God’s message – if we don’tshoot they won’t shoot – both sides said the same thingseparately but at the same time, and when we met tofight, we shouted “If you are for peace, don’t shoot, let’sget together to discuss things.” We met and agreed notto fight and there was peace. Now, we meet every week-end. We meet at the Kenya/Ethiopia border to talkpeace and this has lasted eighteen months. We lookedfor the causes of the fighting: political interest, tribal en-mity, land, pasture and water. These are all causes. Thenwe agreed, if we want peace, let’s leave out these NGOs,politicians and tribal enmities and, just as pastoralists,plan to do things on our own. We included chiefs andcouncillors only. We excluded District Commissioners,MPs and District Officers. We embraced peace and thatis how we succeeded with the peace in Dukana. This isthe way forward for peace in my experience. The politi-cians, elders and warrior age-sets are educated and there-fore they changed their attitude and embraced peace.There is true awareness. If civil and spiritual leaders areeducated, thus we shall get peace. During that time, wehave incurred much expense when meeting – goats,cows, food for eighteen months of weekly meetings.Peace is expensive but it’s cheaper than war.

“Peace is expensive butit’s cheaper than war. ”

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Governments talk On the second day, the Chairman invitedgovernment representatives to speak on thetopics that had been raised the previous day.

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Mesfin AbebeDeputy Head Oromia Administra-

tion and Security BureauThis gathering is different because pastoral-

ists and their council have organised it. Our gov-

ernment is for the people; we are ready to accept

what the people want, and to do what they want in

the way they want it. Pastoralists’ issues need to be dis-cussed at government level just as equally as issues ofpolitics, peace and development. The policies of the cur-rent government are closer to pastoralists than previousgovernments. When the topics of education, health anddevelopment are raised, they need to be discussed in thecontext of pastoralists. Our main focus is on peace; pas-toralists share the land, water and other natural resources.The population is growing and the number of cattle isalso increasing, while the land is the same size as it has al-ways been. Thus natural resource management shouldnot be traditional as in the past. We are working with thepeople and their representatives in neighbouring regions.

We have done a study of the sources of conflict withneighbouring Somali Region and now we havestarted taking action. We have initiated many devel-opment activities; building schools and infrastruc-ture in woredas where conflicts break out regularly,and we have made changes.

We believe that when traditional rules are in-tegrated with government law it is more effective.These rules are acceptable and relate well to our

constitution, as long as they benefit the people.

The interests of the people are the prime con-

cern of the government.

We’ll contribute what we can; the governmentwill provide its support to enable you to continuewhat you have started.

Community elders and committee membersof the area have worked hard on negotiating peaceand it’s encouraging to see the decrease in conflictsand thefts in places where they have been prevalent.

Regarding Peace, the Administration and Se-curity Bureau has been established and is workingat local levels together with the community, com-munity elders, religious leaders, committee membersand NGOs. All these working for peace have a vitalrole to play.

Our role is to coordinate all these organisa-tions. To strengthen this, we’ll have more forums likethis, lessons about peace will be shared in differentplaces, peace gatherings will be held in more places.

Jemal MohamedChairman Afar Regional State

Pastoralist Standing CommitteeIn our Region development activities concern-

ing pastoralists are underway in education, health andwater development. The regional government has es-tablished a Pastoralist Research Institute that pro-vides training for improving cattle breeds, animalfeed and agricultural productivity. We have been re-solving conflicts with all our neighbours except withthe Somalis. I hope that we’ll manage to resolve theexisting conflict between the Afar and Somalis in thispastoralist gathering.

“This gathering is differentbecause pastoralists and theircouncil have organised it. Ourgovernment is for the people;we are ready to accept whatthe people want, and to dowhat they want in the waythey want it. “

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Salad UsmanMP, Somali Region Parliament and

Member of the Somali Pastoralist-

Standing CommitteeThe Somali Regional Government is alleviating

the key problem of pastoralists, which is water, and deepwells have been dug. There is conflict in Somali Region,especially with our neighbours in Oromia and Afar Re-gions. I would like to underline that the Somali RegionalGovernment is ready to solve problems in peacefulways.

We are putting all our efforts into resolving theconflict with the Afar as quickly as possible. Following

its establishment, the Somali Pastoral Council is work-ing hard with the government, NGOs and neighbour-ing pastoral councils and, in future, will solve manyproblems. Such initiatives are leading pastoralists in theright direction. We need to continue.

MamayeTsedalGambella Regional Government

For those of you who are here seeking peace, mayit be the will of God to have peace upon you. The willof God requires our effort. It requires willingness fromall parts of the community.

It has been a year since the Regional Government

established the Pastoralist office in Gambella. Strategicplans have been developed and manpower has nowbeen assigned to the pastoralist administration. As be-ginners, we need your support.

Efforts have been made in water developmentand road construction, but it’s a big problem to pro-

vide water and health services for pastoralists in the

area. In winter, floods hit us and in the summer we

have droughts. This problem has to be solved with thesupport of the community and the government.

The other problem is security. Pastoralists movefrom place to place and, when they move in search ofwater and grazing, others come and kill their familiesand steal their cattle.

If this problem is not solved, development won’t beeasy. It will take time for us to come up with a long-termsolution unless we have a chance to discuss it and makepeace through such gatherings as this one. I promise youthat we’ll convey the message from this gathering.


PW


MulugetaDessalegnBench-Maji Zone, Southern

Nations and Nationalities

Regional State SNNPRS includes about forty-five nations and na-

tionalities of Ethiopia. I mention this figure because inOromia Regional State, the conflict is within the Oromoand also between regions. But in the South, we are tryingto resolve the conflict between nationalities. Two zonesof SNNPRS have come here for this gathering: South

Omo Zone comprises sixteen nations and nationalities,six of them pastoralist and Bench-Maji Zone has six na-tions and nationalities, two of which are here.

We have taken the initiative in several areas ofconflict resolution at zonal level. A pastoral commis-sion has been formed at regional level and there arepastoralist executives in the agriculture and rural de-velopment offices at zonal level.

Boarding schools in Jinka, Arba Minch, BenchMaji and Surma have been especially constructed andmany other development and health projects arebeing implemented.

In Bench-Maji Zone, three nations and na-tionalities are in conflict: Suri with Nyangatom, Suriwith Dizi and Suri with Menit, all due to grazing andtheft. The regional government program, with thesupport of Pact Ethiopia, organised a forum forthese nations and nationalities and brought them to-

gether. During the peace conference there was agreat reconciliation between them. After they re-solved their problems they made peace and nowtrade with each other. During the peace conferencein Nyangatom they strengthened their peace andmade traditional agreements by setting punishmentrules and forming a peace committee. The regionalAdministration and Security Bureau is coordinatingzonal government bodies with the community andtrying to organise meetings to alleviate security prob-lems; however, there is no support from NGOs. InSNNPRS, security committees have been formed atzonal level, at woreda level and even in villages.These security committees hand over killers andthieves to the government to be judged by the law.

When we return home we’ll pass on anotherlesson we gained from here; what pastoralists can doby themselves for themselves.

“...it’s a big problemto provide waterand health servicesfor pastoralists inthe area. In winter,floods hit us and inthe summer wehave droughts. ”

SP


Hon. Tuke LibanFederal House of Peoples’

Representatives The Pastoralist Affairs Standing Committee was

formed in parliament seven years ago. Its function is toraise and address pastoral issues just like any other majorissue. This Committee is following up all matters con-cerning pastoralists and efforts are being made tostrengthen pastoral administration while setting rulesand laws and developing policies. You have noticed howBorana, Gabra and Guji set traditional rules for them-selves and how they brought peace to their communi-ties. Their law is not contrary to government law or theconstitution and, as long as it’s not against the con-

stitution, the government accepts any law set by the

people in relation to their culture, religion or

lifestyle. Some conflict between pastoralists is inevitableand people will sometimes die due to conflict. But ifpastoralists resolve such cases with traditional negotia-tions through elders, there won’t be a sense of revenge.

MwachiroNgallaDistrict Officer 1, Moyale District, Kenya

Our pastoralists in Kenya have the same problemsas you. Changing the lives of pastoralists in Kenya de-pends not only on developing their animal productivity

but also in discovering other developmentoptions or alternatives. What we have

learnt from this gathering is that the tra-

ditional way of resolving conflicts is well

structured and organised in Ethiopia.

We’ll improve what we have started inKenya through the experience we gainedhere. The traditional system has to be in-tegrated with the government system;the Kenyan Government is cur-rently working to resolve conflictand we need to work more on it.

Our government has workedon increasing the productivity and mar-ketability of livestock. We have also cre-ated disease-free areas for healthyanimals, built health centres in manydistricts and provided free educationfor pastoralist children.

PW

“...as long as it’s notagainst the constitution,the government acceptsany law set by the peoplein relation to their culture,religion or lifestyle.”

Hon. HusseinTari SasuraDeputy Minister of State for the

Development of Northern Kenya

and Other Arid LandsThe pastoralist problems in Ethiopia and Kenya

are similar. The pastoralist areas in Kenya are lagging be-hind other areas in Kenya in terms of development be-cause they were not given proper attention. Now thereare two Ministries of Pastoralists: one, the Ministry ofLivestock Development whose minister is MohammedQuti, son of a pastoralist, and my ministry whose Min-

ister is Mohamed Elmi, and I’m his deputy. There arepeace committees in every district whose members areelders from different groups.

The participation of women in Kenya has beengiven due emphasis and they are given a chance to con-stitute at least 30% of the total number in any activity andare eligible for any job opportunity. Education is not justa means of escaping poverty but also alleviating conflict.

The financial budget made yearly by parliamentis equivalent for both pastoralists and farmers. Pas-toralists have their own pastoralist committee in parlia-ment so their rights are respected equally. When peoplegather like this, when they get to know each other, eattogether and sleep together, they narrow their differ-ences and change their attitudes and understand thatit’s possible to live together peacefully. Pastoralists are

not that poor. Pastoralists have wealth but need to

know how to manage it and make use of it in ways

that can change their life.


“What we havelearnt from thisgathering is thatthe traditional wayof resolving con-flicts is well struc-tured andorganised inEthiopia.”

PW

“Pastoralists are not thatpoor. Pastoralists havewealth but need to knowhow to manage it andmake use of it in ways thatcan change their life.”

PW

SP

Nura Dida Yesterday, we agreed to debate the issues

that were raised last night and this morning toshare ideas on how to strengthen peace andbrotherhood among pastoralists.

.

THE AFAR ANDISA PEACE

MohamedSeker

Burimodaito WoredaWe Afar seek peace as much as anybody else or

even more so. Peace is mandatory between similar eth-nic groups and families. We seek peace in any way. If thereis no peace, it’s not possible to do anything or develop. Inorder to bring peace, neighbouring pastoralists and thegovernment should have a strong relationship. Despite

the fact that we speak different languages and live

in different areas, we have the same needs and the

same lifestyle as all pastoralists. Elders, religious andtribal leaders should forge close relationships.

A peace without a firm foundationbased in the community cannot

endure. Conflicts break outnot only between one com-munity and another, or onetribe and another, but alsowithin the tribe. If we make

reconciliation, it should

come from the heart.

What we are saying here

should be real and true.

“If you wash your body you start from the headand if you reconcile, you start from the heart.”

If all the delegates gathered here are interested inpeace, it won’t be difficult to bring peace to the rest ofpastoral society. There is conflict between Afar and its

neighbours, but mostly we are able to solve them

and live peacefully. We want to be open and make ourpoint, we don’t want to cover it up. Somali is one of ourneighbouring regions. We follow the same religion butspeak different languages. Previously, there was a gather-ing in Somali Region and Afar representatives raised thecase of conflict between the Afar and Isa tribes of Somaliand we were waiting for their response. Peace is vital forall of us. The Isa tribe is also pastoralist like us and peaceis vital for them, too. We hope there will be peace be-tween us. In order to bring peace and development,first we need to think of peace and thenmake it practical. The Afar andother nations and nationali-ties believe that peace isvital for pastoralists.On behalf of theAfar people, I wantto express ourcommitment topeace.

“If we make reconciliation, it shouldcome from the heart. What we aresaying here should be real and true.”

Looking to the future

42 Gathering for peaceSP

SP

PW

PW


*Further discussions did take place at the PastoralistDay in Semara

According to our most recent discussion among Somali elders, we have made five key decisions.

• One - We have accepted brotherhood and the idea of peace among all Ethiopian

pastoralists, and we’ll struggle for it.

• Two - Killing and theft are the main problems. We shall find solutions together.

• Three - Traditional rules are very important, but it seems that these days we have

left them behind. When somebody goes to another place, he should ask the local

people how he can share the water and grazing. Let us return to our own culture and

solve our problems sitting in the shade of a tree.

• Four - The conflict breaking out between pastoralists should not be politicised.

Community elders will solve the problems between peoples traditionally.

• Five - We are here as Ethiopian pastoralists. We should show our unity more and

more.

All pastoral councils should come together and form the Ethiopian Pastoralist Council.

Sultan MohamedHassanGababa

I want to answer the question forwarded fromour Afar brothers. The Afar and the Somali are onepeople, they are brothers, they follow the same religionand both are Ethiopian. We discussed last night howto alleviate the problem as quickly as possi-ble. Now there are favourable conditions,thus we can start working on it. TheAfar and Somali representativesshould have a discussion here, rightafter the end of this big gathering.This is a good opportunity for us. Theother opportunity will be during Pas-toralist Day celebrations in Semera. So-mali Council elders will be there,everybody will be there, the governmentwill also be there. We shall make use ofthis good opportunity. It is not a straightanswer for our Afar brothers but itshows that we are trying.*

QamphareGodanaLiban Woreda, Guji Zone

Let’s avoid our problems and get back to our cul-ture. If we avoid our problems and get back to being onebrotherhood, there will be nothing difficult for us toachieve. There are traditional water management rules,land management guidelines and punishments for crim-inals. These strengthen our brotherhood.

LotikoriYarekal

If we form a committee of elders and integratethem with the youth committee and work on peace to-gether, it will be good.

Around the South Omo border, the Turkana,Dassanech, Hamar and Nyangatom have formed a com-mittee and during the past three years we have had a gen-eral peace, although conflicts might break out from time

to time. We need financial support from organisations forfrequent gatherings in one area. We want the Governmentand NGOs to help us raise funds. I’m a member of a peace

committee. I’m a man of peace and I’ve been attendinggatherings like this. We are one, we are Ethiopians, let usdiscuss, let us solve our problems together. let us discuss, letus solve our problems together.

Rhamsy ChuolWe have come here with a very special issue that

we have to solve, the issue of peace. I am sure we are bornanew by this gathering of pastoralist associations. Unfor-tunately, I shall not thank all of us here because we have notyet achieved anything. Peace has no formula. We can cre-ate a formula to achieve co-existence and survival. I’m sadto say this, but it’s not a matter of choosing sweet words

under the shade of this tree if we don’t put them into

practice.

In Gambella we plan to form a new pastoralistcouncil. We look to you to provide us with experience andsupport to do this.

It would be a good idea to remember that we shouldnot underestimate ourselves. We are powerful, we are partof the government, we are part of the com munity and wehave been given a special mandate to solve this problemthat is making peace.

“...it’s not a matter of choosing sweetwords under the shade of this tree ifwe don’t put them into practice.”

PWPW

PW


Molu KuluGabra Yaa Oddola, Kenya

There were three people, one whohad no legs, a second who was deaf and athird who was blind. They wanted to makean agreement among themselves. Theblind man said ‘I saw cattle there’ and therest agreed. The deaf man said ‘I heardthe sound of cattle’ and the rest agreed.And the one who had no legs said ‘let usrun to the cattle’.

This is how people make agree-ments. Everybody is agreeable and saysyes to each other. Let us accept ideasfrom each other. Conflict destroys lives.If there is no war our kids will grow. It’sin the hands of us pastoralists. We havewealth, we have livestock, and we cansend our children to school.

SP


Final word

HORA BULA.

May you have prosperity and a long life.

Boru GodanaPlease give serious attention to making peace and

continue these discussions when you reach home. Thisevent should not be a one-off. We are gathered here forpeace and thus the peace will lead us to development.

Nura Dida First of all I would like to thank the Oromia re-

gional government and other bodies that facilitated theorganisation of this gathering. I would also like to thankNGOs, especially DGPP, a DFID project that has cov-ered all the expenses of this gathering.

I thank all of you who have come from differentregions to participate in this gathering and all the gov-ernment bodies at kebele, woreda, zonal, regional andfederal level who are here.

I thank all participants from Kenya. I thank com-munity elders and the elders of this particular area, thepeople who have been serving the participants, the po-lice force, all the GOs and NGOs.

May the Almighty help us organize an-other gathering where we can achievemore than we have achieved in thisgathering for peace.

May you have pros-perity and a long life.



The Ethiopian Pastoralist Peace Gather-ing in Dambalawachu, Dire Woreda washosted and organised by the Oromia Pas-toralists Association in conjunction withthe Oromia Pastoralist Areas Develop-ment Commission and the Oromia Re-gional Administration and SecurityBureau. It was supported by the UK DFIDDemocracy Growth and Peace for Pas-toralists Project / Pastoralist ConsultantsInternational. Additional financial supportwas provided by Deutsche Entwicklungs-dienst (German Development Service).The gathering organisers would like tothank the community and leaders of

Damabalawachu area, the Borana ZoneAdministration, the Afar PastoralistCouncil, the Somali Region PastoralistCouncil, Atowokisi Ekisil Pastoralist De-velopment Association, the PastoralistShade Initiative, Origins Ethiopia Tourand Travels and all the pastoralist andgovernment representatives, translators,reporters, caterers and journalistswhose participation in the gatheringmade it a success.

T he opinions expressed in this documentare the authors' and do not necessarilyreflect those of the UK Department for

International Development or PastoralistConsultants International

Published in Ethiopia by the Oromia Pas-toralists Association and in the UK byPastoralist Consultants International

© Pastoralist Consultants Internationaland Oromia Pastoralists Association,2009

Any parts of this book may be copiedand reproduced without permission,provided that the parts reproduced aredistributed free or at cost, not for profit.

For any reproduction with commercialends, permission must first be obtainedfrom the publisher. The publisher wouldappreciate being sent a copy of any ma-terials in which text has been used.

If you would like any more informationon the Ethiopian Pastoralist PeaceGathering or additional copies of thispublication, please contact: In Ethiopia: The Oromia PastoralistsAssociation on +251 114 166017Outside Ethiopia: Pastoralist Consult-ants International on [email protected]

PHOTO CREDITS

PETTERIK WIGGERS(PW)

PAGES: 8, 10, 15, 18-20, 21-26, 28, 29, 37,

38, 40, 41-44

SYLWIA PECIO (SP)

PAGES: 1-5, 9, 10-14,16-17, 20, 22, 27-28,30-36, 40-43, 45-48

OPA

Gatheringfor peace

15-17 January 2009,

Ethiopia,

Oromia region,

Borana Zone,

Mudhisellu.

Documents

Gathering for Peace - Participatory · PDF file4 Gathering for peace ... neighbouring Isa clan of Somali region. ... according to the traditional system of conflict resolution