Urgent Appeal for Inclusive Dialogue in Lou Ariik Conflict, A Pursue For A Return For Peace
Subject: Urgent Appeal for Inclusive Dialogue In Lou Ariik Conflict, A Pursue For A Return For Peace
To The Governor of Warrap State,
H.E. Amb Bol Wek Agoth,
Friday, 13 February 2026 (PW) — The people of Lou Ariik are writing to address the ongoing conflict within Lou Ariik community regarding the contentious naming of the administrative area, with divisions emerging between the supporters of “Lou Ariik” and “Alabek.” Since 2016, mobilization by the supporters of Alabek has incited hatred against a smaller faction of our community, leading to threats and violence. Many have been forced to abandon the truth or face dire consequences, resulting in over 100 lives lost and many others wounded.
For nearly a decade, followers of Lou Ariik have sought genuine dialogue, negotiation, and mediation to attain sustainable peace. Unfortunately, these efforts have largely been ignored, leading only to increased tensions and loss of life. It has become evident that the community’s intellectual leaders have made insufficient efforts to establish effective peacemaking processes.
On January 28, 2026, a politically motivated gathering took place, ostensibly a thanksgiving celebration for the appointment of Gen. Mawien Magol, as intended by the family. However, it was hijacked and transformed into a mere façade for a claimed peace celebration, marked by misrepresentations of the situation at home aimed at attracting media attention and outsiders. The situation on the ground was and is entirely different. Some community members brought from the village were threatened and forcibly removed from their hotel rooms and were blocked from speaking about the honest means to achieve peace in the community.
The so-called High Level Peace Committee is not a legitimate peace committee; it is a self-appointed group which was meant to organize a thanksgiving ceremony for the appointment of Gen. Magol. Due to their lack of strategy and proper procedures, they misused this opportunity, further escalating tensions within the community. As participants in the conflict themselves, they lack the impartiality necessary to oversee any peacemaking efforts in Lou Ariik community, they are partisan to the conflict. The celebration they conducted was a distraction from the necessary actions needed for genuine peace. Certain groups or individuals fear honest dialogue, as it could expose their negative contributions to the community conflict. Therefore, they choose to pose as peacemakers in a conflict they themselves helped engineer.
Chiefs and elders who were handpicked and flown to Juba were expected to express gratitude to President Kiir for appointing their son, Gen. Magol. However, they found themselves in a vague, unclear and divisive situation, which left many surprised and confused.
We, therefore, want to categorically state that there has been no peace agreement or unified decision made by the conflicting parties regarding the administrative or community name. The community has not yet convened to address these issues, and despite the silence of guns in the village, underlying conflicts continue to persist.
This situation raises several critical questions:
- How can we celebrate peace with only twelve chiefs and elders without any substantive negotiation?
- How can we claim to celebrate peace while ignoring the root causes of our conflict?
- How can one party to the conflict choose to celebrate peace without engaging with the other party involved?
- If there is peace to celebrate, who negotiated this peace for the Lou community, and what resolutions have been established to address the conflict?
- Who appointed the committee? Several Lou-based peace initiatives have struggled for too long due to lack of cooperation. Any effective committee should be appointed externally or must begin with the involvement of meaningful consultation to ensure impartiality and avoid bias.
We suggest that for Lou Ariik to resolve its ongoing conflict the community must attend to the following: Considerable Strategies:
- Enhance Security: Establish a robust security framework to create a safe environment for open debates and collaborative problem-solving.
- Conduct Conflict Mapping: Implement comprehensive mapping to acknowledge all perspectives, identify underlying issues, and understand conflict dynamics before carrying out any dialogue.
- Facilitate Dialogues and Forums: Create inclusive discussions engaging various segments of the population, including elders, politicians, and the educated class, to ensure diverse voices are heard.
- Address the Naming Dispute: Confront the contentious issue of the community’s name to avoid undermining peace efforts.
- Empower the Pateek vs Pateek Dialogue: Task Pateek clan members with mediating internal differences and proposing unifying solutions to manage the ongoing crisis.
- Promote Reconciliation: Focus on reconciling conflicts within the Pateek clan and between them and other factions to foster long-term harmony.
- Establish Specialized Traditional and Mobile Courts: Set up courts to address war-related issues, providing accessible justice mechanisms for timely dispute resolution.
- Conduct Awareness Campaigns: Launch campaigns to promote peaceful coexistence and educate the community about dispute resolution, particularly targeting youth.
Supporters of Lou Ariik, the victims of the ongoing conflict, have repeatedly called for an inclusive peace dialogue that includes all conflicting parties, focusing on the root causes of our disputes, delivering justice for victims, and fostering community unity. This can be achieved by establishing a neutral & government-supervised mediating body to oversee the resolution process. While there is a dispute between Lou Ariik and Alabek, there is no agreement on the unilateral use of “Lou Mawien Ariik” as the community’s name, which occurred prior to any peace dialogue.
Our people back home are committed to observing the ceasefire and cessation of hostilities achieved through involvement of Juer Peace & Reconciliation Committee (JPRC). We believe that with meaningful support, we can pave the way for a more peaceful and united Lou Ariik community.
Ariik Mawien Gum
Chairperson – Lou Ariik Youth Association Juba
CC: H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan
CC: Revitalized National Transitional Legislative Assembly
CC: Council of States – Juba
CC: Tonj Community Leadership in Juba
CC: Revitalized Warrap State Legislative Assembly
CC: Tonj North County Commissioner.
CC: Lou Ariik Community Leadership
CC: All Media Outlets
CC: File
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