The Dodoth in Kaabong district and the Turkana of Kenya on Friday reconciled in order to restore peace.
At a meeting for peace and reconciliation in Kalapata Sub-county, Kaabong district, the two communities that live next to each other promised to stop fighting and being bad.
Apaa Lodomo Lodio, a kraal leader, said they have long been struggling to reclaim peace, but it has not been easy to achieve since the two warring communities were engulfed in revenge attacks.
Lodio noted that during the peace dialogue, both communities agreed that reconciliation was the first step toward sustainable peace. He also said that as elders, they know how important it is to build on the dialogues and encourage the community to choose peace so they can start pastoring.
Apaakuruk Akeno, an elderly person from Turkana, said they have been living in peace with their friends in Karamoja. Akeno noticed that their guns were meant to protect their animals from raiders and kill wild animals, but the people in the village were using them in the wrong way.
According to Akeno, they don’t want conflicts again because guns have claimed many lives and it is high time for them to look after their cattle.
Michael Okiria said that the peace between the two communities is a big step toward long-term solutions for cross-border peace, sharing resources, and dealing with conflicts.
Okiria also said that the two communities on both sides of the border have a lot in common, which can be kept alive with a good environment.
Okiria told the community to work for peace and said that the government is ready to back any efforts to make peace.
The elders from the two communities pledged to deal with some youths who might want to go contrary to the resolutions made and disturb the peace.
Both sides agreed that all leaders on both sides would keep their eyes on the goal of peace, work hard to make it happen, and pay attention to the larger East African Community agenda.
