Lasting peace returns to Baiyer

Story and picture by JAMES GUMUNO

THE word peace is commonly used by mediators, courts and police to resolve conflicts and tribal fights.
On many occasions in conflict resolution in the highlands region, law enforcing agencies bring disputing or warring parties together to make peace.
They issue preventive orders to stop the parties or warring tribes from taking matters into their own hands to maintain order and allow peace and harmony to prevail in communities.
The law enforcing agencies usually look at the root cause of the problems and address them without giving much attention to the people who are victims.
A problem initially starts between two or a handful of people usually over land disputes, rapes, road accidents or drunken brawls.
In Melanesian society, people practice their love for others by helping, sharing and caring for fellow tribesmen and women in times of trouble and natural disaster.
These good principles automatically apply when they see that their tribesmen or women are in need of their support. Because of these strong links a small dispute which could easily be resolved at the village court level or through land mediators can escalate into a bigger problem resulting in tribal fighting. ‘
Consequently, many get killed, properties are destroyed, and public facilities like schools, health services, and other governments’ services are also affected or disrupted.
A problem between two or a few people now involves the entire tribes from both sides.
Many innocent tribesmen and others from neighbouring tribes who help in the fight get killed or sustain serious injuries, and their properties are destroyed as well.
When the law enforcers like police and peace mediators intervene, they usually communicate with the leaders of warring factions to go back and discourage their people to lay down their arms and stop fighting.
The leaders speak on behalf of their people to stop fighting and bring peace but in many instances the negotiation process never achieves lasting peace.
After some months or years, fighting starts all over again from other issues connected to the old issues which had started the initial conflict.
This is because relatives and family members of their love ones killed do not easily forgive their enemy tribesmen even after the fighting has stopped and peace supposedly made.
The highlands mentality of taking revenge is usually in the minds of relatives and it is now realised that people can truly forgive their enemies only when they are changed spiritually.
True peace will prevail when former enemies come together and relatives of those killed on both sides publicly declare forgiveness.
One such peace ceremony was initiated by a number of church denominations on April 15 in Baiyer Valley, Western Highlands.
The Ramui Kimbin and Maip Kumba tribesmen who fought for 23 years since 1995 over a land dispute at Kigir village – a conflict that has claimed 45 lives – finally laid that enmity to rest with the planting of crosses as sign of peace.
The relatives of those killed on either side came out and publicly forgave one another. It was a rare occasion for two former warring tribes who had fought with high powered guns to gather together in a tent erected inside Kombolopa Lutheran mission station and without heavy police presence, declared peace, sought forgiveness from one another, and most importantly forgave those who killed their loved ones.
The churches in the Baiyer Valley came together during a week-long combined inter-denominational crusade to initiate the final peace process.
The first stage of the peace process was undertaken by prominent lawyer and a son of Baiyer, Paul Paraka, in 2011 at his own expense. He offered 200 pigs and K100,000 to bring about peace when police made several unsuccessful attempts to stop the fight.
The ward councillors from the former warring tribes, Warino Kongori of Maip tribe and Simon Nais from Ramui tribe said their people missed out on education and business activities after so many years of tribal fighting.
Kongori said that the people from both sides were now breathing a sigh of relief and the fear they used to have has automatically disappeared.
“I am now very happy that the Maip Kumba and Ramui Kimbin tribesmen are now coming together as one people to make everlasting peace,” he said.
Nais from the Ramui tribe commended the local leaders and churches for initiating the final peace process.
He said that during the 23 years of fighting, life became so hard for his people. He said that schools closed, people lived in fear and didn’t settle down well.
“We now surrender to God and will not fight again in the years to come,” he said.
He urged people from both sides to venture into business activities and enroll their children in schools.
The cross has once more brought peace to Baiyer Valley tribes that had lived with fear and violence for over two decades.