- The term monyomiji refers to the corporate group of middle-aged men that traditionally has the responsibility to protect the community from enemies and to maintain law and order. After ruling for a set period of years, the monyomiji in power are removed and replaced by the next. The new monyomoji-set starts their term with clean slate. They remove corrupt practices that have crept in during their predecessors, introduce social innovations, and, in the past, put themselves on the map as a military presence in the area.
Monyomiji rule is practiced by more than a dozen ethnic communities on the East Bank of the Nile in the states of Eastern and Central Equatoria in the Republic of South Sudan.
Issues of public interests are openly debated in a space accessible to members of all clans and sections. Opposition is the rule. The monyomiji perceive themselves as change agents. These characteristics make the monyomiji institution eminently suitable as a building block of local governance under the state. However, since the colonial days the relationship between monyomiji and successive governments has been marked by outspoken antagonism.
In November 2009 the Catholic Diocese of Torit called for a meeting of all stakeholders in good governance to discuss ways to bridge the gap between government and monyomiji. It resulted in the Torit Declaration. A group of NGOs, operating under the name Monyomiji Support Group, is ready to assist the local government authorities to implement the Torit Declaration within the framework of the local Government Act.
- The term monyomiji refers to the corporate group of middle-aged men that traditionally has the responsibility to protect the community from enemies and to maintain law and order. After ruling for a set period of years, the monyomiji in power are removed and replaced by the next. The new monyomoji-set starts their term with clean slate. They remove corrupt practices that have crept in during their predecessors, introduce social innovations, and, in the past, put themselves on the map as a military presence in the area.
Monyomiji rule is practiced by more than a dozen ethnic communities on the East Bank of the Nile in the states of Eastern and Central Equatoria in the Republic of South Sudan.
Issues of public interests are openly debated in a space accessible to members of all clans and sections. Opposition is the rule. The monyomiji perceive themselves as change agents. These characteristics make the monyomiji institution eminently suitable as a building block of local governance under the state. However, since the colonial days the relationship between monyomiji and successive governments has been marked by outspoken antagonism.
In November 2009 the Catholic Diocese of Torit called for a meeting of all stakeholders in good governance to discuss ways to bridge the gap between government and monyomiji. It resulted in the Torit Declaration. A group of NGOs, operating under the name Monyomiji Support Group, is ready to assist the local government authorities to implement the Torit Declaration within the framework of the local Government Act.
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