environmental degradation as a cause of conflict in - Steiner Graphics

evidently committed to the basic human rights of protecting the life and propertyfor their subjects. They were also concerned with the eradication of slavery thatwas still practised in the Sudan at the time. They worked relentlessly to subduenomads and stop them from attacking one another or raiding settled farmers (seeBeck 1996).Indigenous Institutions and PracticesPromoting Communal PeaceAs traditionalism and nomadism tended to threaten peaceful coexistence amongthe rural communities, local communities have developed their own mechanismsthat helped to promote peace and/or mitigate conflicts among the rural population.In July 2003 research was conducted in Nyala, the capital city of southernDarfur State, to learn about indigenous institutions and practices of peace-buildingand the results they had in doing so. The following institutions and practices wereidentified:1. Institutions• the ‘Sufi’ Order, or tariqa.• the Quranic school, i.e. khalwa.• the political party.• the judiyya, i.e. the mediation.• the tribal leadership (Native Administration).• tribal festivals.2. Practices• intermarriage.• brotherhood (friendship).• exchange of gifts.• naming children after friends.Those institutions and practices serve as cross-cutting ties for local communities ofdifferent tribal and ethnic origins, resulting into the practical promotion of peaceand/or mitigation of conflict, as the ensuing discussion will illustrate.70