Rebuilding Trust in Traditional Authorities: Lessons Learned Partnership for recovery and resilience learning Event USAID/Viable Support to Transition and Stability (VISTAS) November 2018

Approach Due to a lack of a national judicial system functioning at the community level, VISTAS has worked to strengthen the ability of traditional authorities to adjudicate cases and mitigate violence through training, infrastructure, and logistical support

Case Study: Background History of intra-and inter-communal fighting over land, resources, and cattle Little presence of or access to formal judicial authorities outside the urban centers Problem: Most of the former experienced chiefs have been lost to the conflict, disease, and old age Most new chiefs had little legitimacy, motivation, or authority. Corruption was rampant and chiefs had almost no knowledge of the customary or statutory laws Chiefs were losing their credibility and authority Most customary law is passed orally

Case Study: Intervention Trained 150 chiefs in Greater Bor on: Customary law Linkages with statutory law Peacebuilding practices Trauma awareness Facilitated the harmonization, printing and dissemination of Greater Bor Dinka Community customary law booklets to traditional authorities in the four communities of Bor, Twic, Nyarweng and Hol . Reduces potential for corruption

Outcome Strengthened and empowered knowledgeable traditional authorities that are trusted and therefore able to resolve intra-communal conflicts at the community level throughout the year

Lessons Learned When competent and motivated, communities generally prefer to have traditional authorities resolve their cases than referring to the national courts because it is resolved in terms of blood compensation/cattle It is also within their resources Need consistent support over long periods of time to ensure community buy-in Training Infrastructure (Courts) Blood compensation meetings

Challenges Traditional authorities do not have the resources to ensure resolutions are followed through Solution: Income generation for adjudicating cases Traditional authorities are male dominated Many of the laws are ‘backwards’ and go against the principles of our organizations Traditional authorities do not have a strong presence in every community How will they be recognized within a formal