From Tension to Unity: How the Pujehun DMSP Encouraged the Sawula and Lungo Communities to Choose Peace Over Conflict
In 2011, Long before the formation of the Pujehun District Multi-Stakeholder Platform (DMSP), a serious boundary dispute broke out between the Sawula and Lungo communities in Pujehun District.
Previously, the two communities lived in harmony, sharing social functions and undertaking joint activities. However, with rising demand for land from large-scale investors, tensions grew over ownership of a stream that lay between them. Both sides claimed it as theirs.
Unfortunately, the situation escalated into violence that same year. A fight broke out, leading to the tragic loss of life of a community member. Seven individuals were arrested and later sentenced to life imprisonment. This outcome deeply affected the communities. While it was not what they had hoped for, the law had taken its course.
By the time the DMSP was established in 2019, the lingering conflict had created a fragile and tense atmosphere between the two communities. When the issue was brought to the DMSP’s attention, it was clear this would be a difficult and sensitive assignment, particularly with some of the youth and elderly people still behind bars.
Equipped with conflict resolution and community dialogue training provided by Land for Life and other CSOs, the DMSP undertook an assessment of the peace situation. Initial findings showed heightened tensions and the risk of renewed violence if immediate steps were not taken.
In response, the DMSP facilitated a series of peace meetings with both communities. Last year, they convened a dialogue session with the chiefs from Sawula and Lungo. During the meeting, the DMSP emphasized the long-term damage that prolonged conflict could inflict on development, relationships, and opportunities in both communities.
Both chiefs admitted that since the violence in 2011, no initiative had ever been taken to bring them together or promote peace. They commended the DMSP for this brave and timely intervention.
Just this week, the DMSP held another dialogue session, this time involving key stakeholders from both communities. “We could sense the tension on both sides,” one DMSP member noted. However, as the DMSP presented the benefits of unity and the cost of continued division, both communities began to shift their stance.
In a major breakthrough, the communities jointly agreed to work together and developed a shared plan: to cultivate a joint community farm on the disputed boundary area. The proceeds from this farm would support both communities, including funding much-needed schools and other essential services.They also made a united call for support from other development partners, including the District Council, to assist in this effort.
The DMSP has taken the community’s joint plan seriously and is committed to supporting its implementation, marking a hopeful new chapter for Sawula and Lungo communities.
