Abstract
Child abduction and cattle raiding pose a threat to sustainable socio-economic development among the Dinka, the Nuer and the Murle communities in Jonglei State, South Sudan. A 7-month study was conducted to investigate the impacts of child abduction and cattle raiding among the three communities-Dinka, the Nuer and the Murle community. Two hundred fifty households, one hundred fifty two Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and fifty six Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were investigated using semi-structured questionnaires, interview guide and observation checklist. Simple random sampling procedure and proportionate stratified sampling were used to select respondents from each community. Both qualitative and quantitative data were concurrently analyzed and interpreted. Analysis of FGDs revealed that the increasing need for bride wealth and the availability of small arms or light weapons were the major driving factors behind cattle raiding and child abduction among the three communities. Consequently, increasing death rates, illiteracy, displacement, poverty, and loss of properties were rampant threatening social coherence among these communities. Disarmament, demobilization and re-integration, and other peace building processes are highly needed for sustainable socio-economic development among the Dinka, the Nuer and the Murle communities in Jonglei State, South Sudan. Key words: Child abduction, cattle raiding, local communities, peace building, Jonglei State.
Highlights
Cattle raiding and child abduction are frequent events occurring among pastoral communities in sub-Saharan African countries
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of cattle raiding and child abduction among the Dinka, Nuer and Murle communities such that tangible solutions through peace building processes can be sought for social coherence and sustainable development of the three communities in Jonglei State, South Sudan
Dinka community was 94 (37.6%), Nuer was 80(32.0%) and Murle community was 76(30.4%), suggesting that most of the respondents in this study were from Dinka community (Figure 1)
Summary
Cattle raiding and child abduction are frequent events occurring among pastoral communities in sub-Saharan African countries. In South Sudan, such socio-cultural phenomena usually predominate among the Dinka, the Nuer, and the Murle communities inhabiting Jonglei State. Intercommunal conflicts have been identified as vicious cycles that revisit deep wounds on these three communities (Legassicke, 2014). Many communities have attempted various mechanisms such as conducting dialogues, truce and peace building committees to resolve their conflicts. Evidence has shown that the major causes of cattle raiding are the high existence and the use of guns prompting the Pokot and the Marakwet of Kenya in Eastern Africa (Mwole, 2016) and the Dinka, Nuer, and Murle of Jonglei State of South Sudan (Wild et al, 2018).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
