SUDAN: Tribalism continues to create rifts among South Sudanese in the Refugee Camps.
The conflict in South Sudan has seen the citizens fleeing for their lives to seek refuge in the neighbouring countries among them Sudan. According to the Archbishop of Khartoum Most Rev. Michael Didi, there are nine big camps hosting the South Sudanese refugees, not to mention others who live elsewhere in the country outside the camps.
Despite the fact that they have ran away from conflict, the problem of tribalism, which seems to be what is fueling the conflict in the youngest nation in the world continues to affect even those living in the refugee camps away from home.
“We are trying to make people live in peace because people are still fighting even in the camps. Each ethnic community are put separately but they still meet even at the bore holes and these are the places where two or three people often pick a quarrel and before you know it the fight has escalates and the whole community is involved,” Archbishop Didi explained in an interview with AMECEA Online News in Nairobi adding that the cause tribalism is a root cause to major conflicts and it is very disturbing.
He said that the Archdiocese is trying its best to deal with the problem in the refugee camps albeit in small way.
“In Khartoum I want to be a bit strong on this therefore I told the priest that if I see or hear any of them trying to encourage tribal divisions by perhaps saying these are my people, then I will suspend him,” he said adding that, this is meant to send the message that tribalism is very evil and should not be tolerated.
He narrated that it came to his attention when in one of the camps, different ethnic communities decided to build small huts to congregate for worship based on their tribal affiliations and not on reasonable arguments such as different denominations. This made him give a directive to the people in that camp telling them that “Unless you have one place for prayer for all communities then the priests will come to you for services.”
Archbishop Didi reiterated that out of tribalism, comes the negative poisonous response that is killing the spirit of humanity. “Continue praying for us as we pray for you so that one day we realize the hope that our political leaders will stop playing with the emotions of the people by fuelling tribal animosities so that we can enjoy the real peace.”
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By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News
