SUMMARY

The Dinka are the largest non-Arab ethnic group in Sudan and the Dinka language is the first language for about one tenth of the Sudanese population. In southern Sudan the Dinka is the largest ethnic group. They are mainly cattle pastoralists who live on either side of the White Nile and across Bahr al-Ghazal. Traditional Dinka culture follows the flooding and receding of the Nile waters. The Dinka are divided into different subgroups and sometimes these groups fight against each other but most often unite if they come into conflict with an outside enemy. The usual reason behind clashes between different clans within the Dinka is cattle raiding.

The Atout Dinka numbers around 100 000 and lives in the Lakes and Bahr Bahr el Ghazal states of Southern Sudan.

The Atout Dinka has been involved in the non-state category of the UCDP organised violence.