By Mohamad Mahady

Across Darfur, native administration plays a significant role in strategic issues such as tribal disputes, reconciliation and preserving security and stability. This aspect has become heightened on account of the ongoing conflict in the region.

 

Native administration functions as a system of checks and balances, an entity comprised of a specific group of people living in a particular geographical area, established to support governance at local, state and federal levels based on the rule of law. At the heart of the efficacy of this system is the respect and honor given to community leaders as well as a centuries-old hierarchical system of leadership.

 

At the top of the structure is the Chief, traditionally called Nazir, Shartai, Magdoom, Malik or Sultan, depending on his tribe or ethnic origins. The Chief oversees numerous Umdas; these are heads of sub-sections within a tribe and are empowered to resolve disputes at individual and group levels. These Umdas, in turn, supervise a number of Sheikhs or Firshas who deal with day-to-day issues.  The appointment of leaders at any level is usually based on succession, or, in some special cases, on a reputation for patriotism. 
 

Despite the lack of any formal structure or a delineated administrative methodology, the native administration system is considered by many as one of most effective management platforms among local communities across Sudan and Darfur, in particular. “The heads of tribes can make a significant difference when it comes to settling disputes and promoting harmony among different communities living in a particular geographical location as every area has unique traditions and customs and, at times, requires special problem solving and tension mitigation skills,” says Eltoum Dabaka, the Nazir of the Bani Halba tribe.

 

However, Mr. Dabaka says he believes that the system, as it stands, requires greater support from the government in order to better enable it to perform its vital role in rebuilding the social fabric in Darfur. Umda Abdalla Khatir, a leader who supervises 13 Sheikhs at the Abu Shouk camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), El Fasher, North Darfur, agrees with this viewpoint. “In earlier times, community leaders had greater control over the security and stability of our tribes as compared to now. With greater collaboration with the government, I believe, we can contribute immensely to achieving peace and development across Darfur,” added Umda Khatir. 

 

In recognition of the vital responsibilities that community leaders can fulfill with regard to peace-building and reconciliation in this troubled region, the Government of Sudan has worked to enhance the involvement of community leaders in governance at the local, state and federal levels. Many leaders have been appointed to official governmental positions; community leaders have been selected as governors (Walis), federal and state ministers, consultants, commissioners and members of parliament. 

 

On its part, the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) has allocated a primary role to community leaders across Darfur to achieve its core mandated aim of supporting, in conjunction with the United Nations Country Team, the mediation of community conflict and addressing its root causes. “Darfuri native administration leads a community-inspired approach, based on traditional reconciliation mechanisms that bring communities together to promote dialogue, build confidence and mediate negotiation to resolve communal conflicts,” says Guang Cong, Chief, Civil Affairs Section, UNAMID. “Due to the special position of native administrators in the society, they are important interlocutors for Civil Affairs, whose role is crucial in the Mission’s engagement at the local level,” he adds.  

 

Capacity building for conflict resolution and support to local-level reconciliation and conflict resolution mechanisms, both at the local and state levels, is essential to achieve the Mission’s overall goal of promoting sustainable peace and development in Darfur. UNAMID Civil Affairs, therefore, works to provide logistical, technical and advisory support to local-level, community reconciliation initiatives across Darfur, in collaboration with a wide range of international and national stakeholders that include the Government of Sudan, the Darfur Regional Authority, youth associations, women’s groups, trade unions, nomads, academics, civil administration, native administration, internally displaced persons (IDPs), armed movements, international and local nongovernmental organizations, United Nations agencies as well as the traditional reconciliation mechanisms of Judiya, Ajaweed and other community-level ‘Peace Committees’ in Darfur.  

 

Additionally, UNAMID Civil Affairs has facilitated and provided logistical support to numerous reconciliation conferences aimed at promoting peaceful coexistence between different tribes across Darfur. Native administration leaders have been a pivotal force in these meetings. 

 

A noteworthy example of this is the two-day reconciliation meeting attended by more than 250 representatives of the Beni Hussein and Abbala tribes in Kabkabiya, North Darfur, which took place on 5 June 2014 following an escalation of conflict which resulted in the blockading of roads and preventing supplies, including food, medicine and fuel, from entering the El Sereif locality of North Darfur. 

 

The meeting, initiated by a reconciliation committee consisting of tribal representatives, native administration leaders, members of the security management committee, officials from the Government of Sudan and Sheikh Musa Hilal, was set up to address outstanding issues between them and diffuse tensions in the area. 

 

The King and Shartai of the Fur, the Nazir, Sheikhs and Umdas of the Rezeigat, the Nazir of the Beni Hussein, the Amir of the Tama, other significant tribal leaders from Kabkabiya, Saraf Umra and El Sereif as well as government military and police personnel participated in the conference, which concluded with the resolution of pending issues between the two tribes and an agreement to re-open the roads leading to El Sereif.

 

In a similar instance, on 3 April 2013, the Salamat and the Misseriya tribes in Central Darfur entered into conflict as a result of an alleged theft of a motorbike and a related death. This conflict rapidly evolved, creating a dire humanitarian situation that resulted in large numbers of displaced civilians. A committee consisting of native administration leaders, community representatives and members of East Darfur’s legislative council assisted in containing the situation by initiating reconciliation meetings. Despite an interim cessation-of-hostilities agreement signed on 7 April 2013, more clashes took place between the two tribes. UNAMID’s Civil Affairs personnel mobilized a mediation conference in Zalingei, Central Darfur, in early June; that conference led to a formal peace agreement signed on 3 July.

Such tribal conflicts are a major deterrent to the overall peace process. Tribal clashes, unaddressed, have the potential to engulf Darfur in violence. Most tribes involved in such conflicts are interconnected across Darfur, creating a situation in which a tribal dispute in one location can quickly escalate into a massive conflict across the region. Harnessing the unique position of community leaders, in addition to working with local and regional authorities, ensures the involvement of the affected communities themselves, and enables Civil Affairs to put in place pre-emptive approaches to solving such disputes. 

 

For example, Civil Affairs has helped establish more than 44 Peaceful Coexistence Committees that consist of leaders from native administration, tribal groups, religious organizations and camps for displaced people. The section has held many meetings and conducted several workshops, all designed to cultivate effective mediation skills and foster an attitude conducive to the prevention and management of conflict through dialogue. 

Moreover, initiatives such as Darfur Darfur Dialogue and Consultation (DDDC) and the Darfur Internal Dialogue and Consultation (DIDC) have brought together a range of native administration leaders from across Darfur to discuss issues related to the conflict and pave the way for lasting peace in this part of Sudan.

 

Native administration in Darfur, therefore, is a crucial tool augmenting UNAMID’s work at the political and local levels through mediation, conflict resolution and reconciliation initiatives, along with the Mission’s work on gender issues, and its work to promote human rights, rule of law, child protection andgood governance. All these are measures  designed to create a stable environment that provides protection to civilians.

 

Revitalizing Darfur’s traditional conflict-resolution mechanisms, opening up opportunities for communities to either agree or disagree on issues, and helping them discuss problems, such as access to water points for both nomads and farmers, without resorting to violence, through the active involvement of native administration, is invaluable in helping Darfuris build on the culture of peace, tolerance and understanding, thereby creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and harmony.

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