SUMMARY

The Dinka tribe is the largest ethnic group in South Sudan. The Dinka consists of several sub-divisions and sub-groups within these divisions. The groups rely both on cattle herding as well as farming depending on the different seasons of the year. The civil war that broke out in South Sudan in 2013 increased tensions between different groups and tribes all over the country.

Both the Panyar Dinka and the Waat Dinka are subgroups of the Gok Dinka that lives in the Cueibet and the Rumbek North counties of Lakes state in South Sudan. The Gok and Rek clans of the Dinka have traditionally been involved in small-scale conflicts that mainly have concerned cattle thefts. In February 2016 thePanyar Dinka made an alliance with the Rek against the Waat Dinka that they had clashed with earlier that year.

The non-state conflict between the [Panyar Dinka, Rek Dinka]/#actor/6633) and the Waat Dinka was first included in UCDP data in 2016. In February of that year, clashes between the two groups had resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.