GAMBELLA ጋምቤላ
Ethiopian Peacemaking Database
In Gambella, we highlight the Chuot reconciliation process of Nuer Zone, in the far east.
Ethnic Group: Nuer
Name of Reconciliation: Chuot
Location: Nuer Zone – The zone is borders by the republic of south Sudan on the south, west and north, by Mejeng zone on the east and by Anyuak zone on southeast. The Nuer people are pastoralists and their life revolves around cattle.
Stages of Chuot Process:
As the name indicate “chuot,” it basically represents the life lost during clan-based violence, or paying the amount of the raided cows or destroyed property to the victims by the clan from which the wrongdoer emerges from.
- As soon as the violence erupts between two Nuer clans, the rest of the remaining clans form a solid unit that stops the cycle of violence among the two involved party. Their main task is to reassure the disputant to abort violence and vengeance that will affect their life as well as the life of their family.
- The unit pursues the disputant separately and convinces them to bring their matter before the rest of the clan and community leader. This is the most significant stage for it involvement elders from every Nuer clans, fearless youth, traditional leader and families that are related to the disputant directly, even if they weren’t involved in that chaos.
- The unit arranges a date for disputant to litigate openly before the traditional leaders, respected Nuer personals and the rest of the Nuer clans. Every clan are represented and given a chance to express their view point in determining whose in fault through their representative after both of the disputant stated their fact.
- The elders announce the wrongdoer. They instructed the remedy and measure to be taken against the clan that is found to be at fault without excluding members that did not participate in that violence. The remedies mostly involve confiscation of stated amount of cattle payable by the wrongdoer clan, if they refused to hand over the cattle by themselves. The dispute is finalized by sacrificing cattle to “kuoth.” This is used as means of inflicting fear among the disputant to abort vengeance.