SUMMARY

The Nuer is the second largest ethnic group (the largest is Dinka) in Southern Sudan (South Sudan after its independence in 2011) and the Nuer is divided into different sections. One of the largest sections with approximately 1.5 millions inhabitants is the Lou Nuer. The Lou Nuer is geographically located in Upper Nile region of Southern Sudan and the region that they have their heartland is called Bieh State which in the Nuer language means the shrine or holy place. The Lou Nuer main livelihood is cattle herding.

The Lou Nuer has been involved in the non-state category of the UCDP organised violence.

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 (South Sudan after its independence in 2011) 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 several subgroups and one of the main subgroups is the Bor Dinka (sometimes also referred to as South-eastern Dinka). The Bor Dinka group is located in the region around Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, located on the east bank of the White Nile in the southern part of the state.

The Bor Dinka make up an important part of the Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and the most well-known person from the Bor Dinka tribe is the late Doctor John Garang, founder of SPLM/A and former president of Southern Sudan and vice-president of Sudan.

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