"From the Trampled Grass" Post II: The Tong-Tong Ripple Effects
This is the second post in a series of reflections from Paul Ronan, Director of Advocacy for Resolve Uganda, as he travels for two months in Uganda, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Central African Republic to interview victims of LRA attacks, civil society leaders, and local officials about how LRA violence can be ended and affected communities best assisted. Click here to read his first post. For more details about the series see below.
As I sat and enjoyed pineapple slices during an early breakfast in Yambio last Wednesday morning, it was hard to reconcile the peaceful scene around me with the knowledge that this town and region was in the midst of enduring brutal violence at the hands of Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. A small city in South Sudan and the capital of Western Equatoria State, Yambio sits just inside the border with the DR Congo. The air at 6am is refreshing, the temperature cool, and the surrounding forests are remarkably similar those of my native upstate New York.
However, it didn't take too long for me to get a sobering reminder of the reality of the LRA presence in the area. My companions and I were scheduled to travel early that morning from Yambio to the small town of Ezo (about 150 kilometers away), but we received word of a reported LRA attack in a village on the road there. For obvious security reasons, there was a good chance that our travel plans might need to change.
We had planned the trip to Ezo to help us gain a deeper un
derstanding of the humanitarian impact of LRA attacks in South Sudan over the past year. Western Equatoria State has borne the brunt of LRA violence in South Sudan since 2008 and Ezo, which lies on the western edge of the district at the border with Central African Republic and the DR Congo, has been among the hardest hit of its towns. Due to its remoteness, you won't often hear stories of Ezo in the mainstream media, but families there have experienced some of the worst atrocities imaginable at the hands of the LRA. It was discouraging to think that we might not have the chance to go to these people, to hear their stories and better understand the impact of this conflict on their lives.
Thankfully, by 9:30am we got word from local leaders that the road was safe and we set off for Ezo in our 4x4. The effects of LRA activity in the area were visible all along the route. Not long into the drive, we slowed to a halt before a group of men armed with bows and arrows and a single homemade rifle. Known as Arrow Boys, these men represent a network of local self-defense groups in Western Equatoria. The Arrow Boy militias formed to defend their local communities from the “Tong-Tong,” the local term for the LRA which translates roughly into “the people who cut up other people with machetes.”
The Arrow Boys started speaking with Fr. Zach*, a Catholic priest here in Western Equatoria who was moonlighting as our driver and translator. They exchanged information regarding the LRA attack the previous night, then smiled and waved us through the checkpoint. Traveling in South Sudan, it’s easy to not think twice about such a scene. However, as we drove on I tried to picture a similar scene in my hometown. I imagined my younger brother, about the same age as one of the Arrow Boys we had just met, standing with a baseball bat along our street with some of our neighbors and knowing that they were the first – and perhaps only – line of defense between their families and a brutal rebel group. It was a startling scene, and yet only a glimpse into what is an everyday reality for people in Western Equatoria.
The Arrow Boys network in Western Equatoria started forming last year when it became clear to local communities that military forces operating in South Sudan were often incapable -- and sometimes unwilling -- to protect them from LRA attacks. But the presence of formal military forces is also clearly felt. Past the Arrow Boys checkpoint, we also saw South Sudanese soldiers, Ugandan soldiers, and UN peacekeepers patrolling the road, all on guard for signs of the LRA.
The presence of all these armed groups has created a complex, heavily militarized environment in Western Equatoria. Relations between these forces, especially the Arrow Boys and the South Sudanese army, are sometimes tense. As long as LRA violence continues and justifies the continued build-up of so many armed security forces, there is potential for such tensions to escalate into violence and further instability.
Further down the road, after passing a burned out car that was captured and destroyed by the LRA four months ago, Fr. Zach slowed down next to some civilians walking along the road. Like many of the priests and sisters I met in Western Equatoria, Fr. Zach seems to have an innate ability to sense when people are in need of help, and he invited three women and a man into the vehicle to ride with us. Fr. Zach translated while our three new passengers explained that they were fleeing to a nearby South Sudan army camp, afraid to stay near their farms because of the LRA attack the previous night. Planting season is approaching in Western Equatoria, and these women are caught in a fearful struggle: weighing the risk of an LRA attack in the fields versus the risk of their families going hungry in the coming months.
After finally arriving in Ezo, we spent a full day talking with people from South Sudan as well as neighboring DR Congo and Central African Republic who are displaced by the violence. With each conversation, it became clearer that the ripple effects of LRA activity intensify every day that the rebel force is at large. Each person with whom we spoke explained that displacement due to LRA violence has led to increased hunger, sickness and more difficulty in sending children to school. At times, humanitarian assistance has mitigated the severity of these basic needs, but not nearly enough. Moreover, no amount of material assistance can replace the communal relationships that have been disrupted by displacement. Nor can it make it easier for these families to bury their loved ones away from their homes and in an unfamiliar land.
Living in Washington DC, it can be easy to underestimate the impact of this conflict, to measure solely by official estimates of the numbers of people killed, abducted or displaced by the LRA. In reality, LRA attacks have a pervasive effect on people’s lives here that is often unquantifiable and difficult to package into sound bites or statistics.
We asked many of these refugees what they needed most. “We want LRA violence to stop so that we can return home,” was the answer we received again and again. Often this was followed by recommendations for better efforts to protect them from attacks or improved humanitarian assistance, but an end to LRA violence was consistently the number one priority.
It was clear to them that the only way to prevent the LRA’s ripple effect on their lives was to prevent the stone from being thrown into the water.
*Name has been changed
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"When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers" is a tragically familiar proverb in many African communities, alluding to the collateral damage of war, namely the innocent women and children who are often the most affected by war's evils while benefiting the least, if at all, from its spoils.
As Resolve Uganda seeks to amplify the voice of those affected by this war and effectively contribute toward sustainable peace in the region, we recognize the necessity of listening, documenting, and sharing the stories of those most affected by the LRA and whose active involvement is essential for lasting peace. Paul Ronan, our Director of Advocacy, is spending the next eight weeks traversing central Africa to listen, learn, and document as much as possible in areas most recently affected by the LRA. As he travels, he will be sending back reflections, stories, and photos from the region to our headquarters in DC so that we can in turn share them with you. We invite you to follow his journey as he shares stories "from the trampled grass."
For more information on how you can be a part of ending LRA violence and supporting peace, visit: www.resolveuganda.com/legislation/howyoucanhelp