Nonviolent peaceforce: Peacebuilding is trust building

Peacebuilding is strong in South Sudan, even in communities grappling with violence stemming from intergroup and gang conflicts—especially after the conclusion of the UN Mission in South Sudan's security role in internal displacement (IDP) camps in 2020. In Juba IDP camp, police, camp leaders, and self-identified gangs exacerbated tensions.

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) staff focused on building trust ‎with youth in gangs, from consistently showing up in a local tea shop, to building trust over tea and coffee. It grew into meeting outside the tea shop where NP actively listened to the concerns of the youth, validated their perspectives, and inquired about their needs. NP interacted with them on other topics and activities (like football matches), and only moved to the next stages of dialogue when the youth believed they were ready and had built trust with each other and NP.

This newfound trust paved the way for new activities, including discussions on root ‎causes of gang violence, conflict mediation training, gender-based violence prevention, positive ‎masculinities, and child protection. Building trust allowed gang leaders to being open to discussing disarmament, which led to NP-mediated dialogues between gangs, ‎community leaders, and the police. Today, the transformed dynamics are evident as gangs participate in community activities like football and shared meals. The police, in turn, allow them to exit the camp through the checkpoint, demonstrating the tangible success of peacebuilding efforts in fostering trust.

Watch “From Conflict to Community: Overcoming Gang Violence in Juba's IDP Camp.”