SUMMARY

The conflict between the Pari and the Toposa can be traced to a traditional rivalry going back centuries which is frequently mentioned in Pari oral traditions. This traditional rivalry was especially strong during periods of famine - when the Toposa, mainly pastoralists used the lands of the settled Pari as grazing area for their animals.

The conflict between the Pari and Toposa resurfaced in the late 1980s, in one of the lean periods, where food reserves for both tribes were scarce. Toposa raids on Pari-owned cattle were reported at least four times in the 1980s, while Pari attacks on Toposa villages were noted in 1987 and 1988. Further, the raging civil conflict in South Sudan, and the friendly relations between the Pari and SPLM/A (Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Army) led to the easy availability of weapons among the Pari. Additionally, Pari fighting units within the SPLM/A attacked the Toposa when traversing Toposaland as part of their actions against the Government of Sudan.

Most clashes noted were occasional - as the Pari and Toposa are not direct neighbors. Confrontations between the two only occurred when members of one group trespassed on the territory of the other ethnic group.

The non-state conflict between the Pari and the Toposa clan is first included in UCDP data in 1990. During the latter part of the year, a clash between a group of Toposa militiamen trespassing on Pari lands and Pari tribal defense groups resulted in over 25 battle-related deaths.