South Sudan conflict needs both national, local responses: UN official

Traditional leaders like local chiefs and elders can play a role in helping curb conflict in South Sudan, a UN official said Wednesday.

The UN Development Program (UNDP) head of the democratic governance and stabilization unit, Andrew Shuruma, said in Juba, capital of South Sudan that the neglected local power centers must be involved in the elusive search for peace and reconciliation.

"The large scale nature of the conflict in South Sudan will require both national and local responses. At the community level, conflict resolution based on customary level is best achieved through mediation led by chiefs and elders who are knowledgeable about the root causes of these problems," he told journalists.

"Traditional leaders represent an important facet of the community," he said.

A UN report in November warned that South Sudan risked descending into genocide amid increased targeted killings and violence along ethnic lines.

"The problem of the rule of law starts with the communities and it includes even soldiers. Traditional leaders will help in disarmament of the civil population," said Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice Jeremiah Swaka. Endit