By James Tot Mathiang
April 29, 2025 (SSNA) — People still believe in myths and oral stories even without theoretical evidence. Is the tale authentic or a myth? Legend has it that the Dinka and Nuer were cousins, descended from Nyaruop and Nyatuoy Deng. This story does not change the fact that the two tribes have been involved in a long-standing rivalry that has progressively developed into deep-seated resentment. According to Sudan’s history, the conflicts between these two tribes began with cattle theft. Cattle were a crucial source of sustenance and played significant roles in ceremonial practices for both the Dinka and the Nuer. The Dinka and Nuer have a history of hostility, marked by violence and cattle raiding. Historical accounts indicate that the wars between the Dinka and the Nuer originated from these cattle raids. During battles, the victorious tribe would sometimes abduct young boys or girls and raise them as their own.
Despite their ongoing disputes, intermarriage between the two tribes has continued. Some Dinka men have married Nuer women, while some Nuer men have married Dinka women. The conflict between the two largest tribes in South Sudan unfolds in unexpected ways. Three significant events occurred between 2013 and 2025, underscoring the escalating animosity between these rival tribes. During the 2013 Nuer-Dinka conflict, Dinka men killed Nuer men and their children; however, the mothers of those children, who were Dinka, were left unharmed. In April 2025, a Dinka man murdered his sister’s children, ages 8, 11, and 13, because their father was a member of the Nuer tribe. Following these tragedies, the Nuer community grew increasingly concerned about the risk of this conflict escalating into a bitter war. Due to this crime, the intermarriage between these tribes is most likely to be affected.
How the Nuer overlooked the Dinka tribe’s power, which includes warplanes, tanks, and other advanced hardware, remains a mystery
History has shown that most battles fought between the Nuer and Dinka tribes have been won by the Nuer, a belief that continues into the 21st century. The Nuer people firmly believe that the Dinka cannot defeat them in battle. For example, during the massacre of Nuer people by the Dinka militia in 2013, the Nuer, despite being equipped with fewer firearms and lighter weapons, chose to confront the Dinka army, which possessed the country’s power, including warplanes, advanced tanks, heavy weaponry, and support from the 62 tribes of South Sudan. This belief strengthens Nuer’s sense of identity and resilience, serving as a source of pride and unity in the face of adversity. It also illustrates the lasting impact of historical narratives on contemporary intertribal relations and conflicts.
In 2013, a group of young Nuer men were advised not to confront the Dinka due to their possession of tanks and heavy weaponry. When the young men consulted Nuer elders, who were cautioning them against engaging with the heavily armed Dinka, they asked, “Are the tank operators Dinka or from other tribes?” These young men expressed the belief that the presence of a Dinka-operated tank would not intimidate them. This conviction shapes the Nuer’s strategies and interactions with other tribes in South Sudan.
The 2013 massacre intensified tensions between the two tribes, leading to a cycle of revenge attacks and further destabilizing the region. It resulted in a humanitarian crisis, with thousands of Nuer people displaced from their homes and seeking refuge in overcrowded camps. The violence drew international condemnation and calls for peace, highlighting the urgent need for reconciliation efforts in South Sudan.
The story of how livestock theft sparked this animosity and turned it into a savage battle is compelling. The Nuer fought and resisted the British for eighteen years during the colonial era. However, the Upper Nile Dinka took advantage of the Nuer-British struggle by adhering to the tenet that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” To combat the Nuer prophet Guek Ngundeng, the British allied with the Dinka of the Upper Nile and provided them with weapons. Bitter disputes between the Dinka and the Nuer began when the Dinka sided with the British to overthrow the Nuer Dynasty.
Even though the Nuer constituted the majority of the rebel camp, Dr. John Garang Mabior, a Dinka man, was chosen as its head after the Sudan civil war broke out in 1983. Relationships between the rebels and the residents of the surrounding population suffered greatly as a result of Dr. Garang’s command to slaughter a Nuer faction that resisted his destructive methods between 1985 and 1986. John Garang considered the Gajaak Nuer to be his movement’s adversaries, so the SPLA slaughtered them in enormous numbers. The world had limited access to the Gajaak villages that were destroyed by the SPLA, yet Dr. Garang’s executions of the Gajaak Nuer can be classified as genocide because they fit the requirements for such a classification.
When Dr. John Garang and one of his top commanders split in 1991, the two leaders engaged in combat. Because Dr. John Garang, a Dinka, was engaged in combat with Dr. Riek Machar, a Nuer, several people mistook the battle as a clash between the two rebel forces. Many innocent bystanders were caught in the crossfire as the battle between the two sides broke out in densely populated regions, leading to the deaths of many civilians, including women and children. Even though Dr. Riek Machar did not order the killings, he was charged with purposefully killing Dinka civilians in indirect retaliation because it was his forces that attacked Garang’s forces in such inhabited regions. Dr. Riek Machar, a leader who exemplifies accountability, expressed regret on behalf of his military troops to the Dinka population impacted by the conflict.
The escalation became serious
Leaders from the Bor community encouraged the entire Dinka tribe to seek retribution for the deaths of their civilians caught in the gunfire between Dr. Riek Machar and John Garang in 1991, following the then-Vice President of South Sudan’s apologies to the Dinka community. The Dinka clandestinely decided in 2012 to get revenge for the 1991 deaths of their people in Bor. To exact revenge on the Nuer and their commander, Dr. Riek Machar, young Dinka from the Greater Bahr el Ghazal region were recruited by South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir Mayardit, who is also a Dinka.
Unfortunately, the execution of this retribution plan in 2013 led to the systematic murder of uniformed troops and Nuer civilians. Conflict broke out in South Sudan’s capital city on December 15, 2013, with targeted door-to-door attacks that resulted in the deaths of over 20,000 Nuer in three days. The African Union Independent Committee, led by Olusegun Obasanjo, the former president of Nigeria, dismissed the story of the coup that Salva Kiir had planned against his deputy, Dr. Riek Machar, after looking into the terrible civil conflict in South Sudan.
To help the Dinka fight the Nuer tribe, which was thought to have a sizable presence in the South Sudan National Army, President Salva Kiir Mayardit brought in Ugandan forces, SPLM-N (Sudanese rebels), and M23 rebels from Congo, both before and after the war broke out in Juba. The “Jieng Council of Elders,” a leaked document purportedly created by the Dinka community, came to light just before the Civil War in 2013. The 2004 manifesto laid out the plan for the Dinka tribe to rule South Sudan for 200 years. Dinka leaders, meanwhile, saw the Nuer tribe as a barrier that required immediate action. The purported paper calls for actions to be taken to either relocate or kill the Nuer, the second-largest group in South Sudan, to bring their numbers down to 40%. The paper also directed the Dinka to use the profits from gold and oil to rally East African countries and the US administration.
The goal of the ongoing conflict is to bring the Nuer population down to 40%
A straightforward miscommunication led to the fight between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the local Nuer youth, known as “The White Army,” which regrettably heightened tensions in South Sudan. There are worries that this conflict might be a component of larger plans that could negatively impact the Nuer tribe’s position in the area.
After the clash between the SSPDF and the White Army on March 4–6, local youth occupied the military barracks. Given these events, President Salva Kiir and Vice President Bol Mel requested aid from the Ugandan government to resolve the situation in Nasir County, the conflict’s birthplace. Under Muhoozi Museveni’s leadership, the Ugandan government consented to offer military assistance through its special forces.
Nuer settlements in Nasir, Ulang, Longechuk, and Akoba counties encountered numerous difficulties as a result of this assistance, including airstrikes from the SSPDF and Ugandan forces. With allegations suggesting the use of chemical weapons, these strikes have sparked grave worries about the effects on infrastructure and civilian populations. Organizations like Human Rights Watch have asked for investigations into possible human rights abuses in response to the widespread worldwide alarm these acts have caused.
Furthermore, remarks made by the UPDF Special Forces commander about the Nuer tribe have come under increased scrutiny and brought attention to the importance of having a conversation about this delicate subject. He expressed a wish for a resolution, but he also made some requests that would worry some people. The Salva Kiir administration has identified some Nuer counties that could face serious humanitarian issues, even though the immediate use of chemical weapons has stopped. Although some people were skeptical of the first claims of a population reduction plan, the Nuer community is becoming more aware of the possible dangers they face, which emphasizes the value of communication and amicable strategies to deal with these complicated problems.
You can now see why the long-running conflict between the Dinka and Nuer has turned into an eliminationist effort. The last battle to drive out or exterminate the Nuer has unquestionably begun, and those who disregard this fact or this warning must take responsibility. James, a South Sudanese Canadian who has written multiple articles condemning violence in South Sudan and advocating for peace and harmony, is bringing you this message.
The author can be reached at [email protected].