Clergies and Elders of Bor community in Australia, the Mediation Team.

The Handover of the mediation process to leaders of Bor Community Association

(BCA) ‘In Australia’ & ‘Of Australia’

Date 18 July 2019

Mediators of the Peace
Process
Other Parties to be Notified
Content of this Document
Bor Community
Leadership/ Parties
Members of the Mediation
Team
Clergies and Elders of Bor Community (Mediation Team)
Bor Community’s Leaders in South Sudan, Canada and USA
Review and Handover of the Mediation Process to Bor Community Leaders in
Australia
1. Mr Andrew Herjok Apeech
The President of the Bor Community Association in Australia
2. Mr Abraham Koor Abuol
The President of the Bor Community Association of Australia
1. Rev’d Abraham Angau Amuom, Victoria, Melbourne
2. Rev’d July Ngong Ayuen, South Australia, Adelaide
3. Rev’d Daniel Bol Nyieth, Victoria, Melbourne
4. Rev’d John Aguto Majok Nyuon Thui, South Australia, Adelaide
5. Dr Ajak Duany Ajak, Western Australia, Perth
6. Rev’d Stephen Panchol Rok, Victoria, Melbourne
7. Mr Chol Abraham Kuchkon, South Australia, Adelaide
8. Rev’d Monica Ayak Kuol, Victoria, Melbourne
9. Mr Areem Akuei Mach, South Australia, Adelaide
10. Mr Anyang Angok Malou, Victoria, Melbourne
11. Rev’d Samuel Wel Maper, Victoria, Melbourne
12. Rev’d Joseph Loka Gai, Victoria, Melbourne
13. Mr Kuai Thiong, Queensland, Brisbane & Northern Territory, Darwin

Mediation Team Document NO-12

Dear Members of Bor Community in Australia,

We write to update you on the peace process, the reconciliation and unity of Pan-Bor in Australia. We
would like to let you know that the elders and clergies of Pan-Bor in Australia have been working in the
background with the leaders of the two competing associations to find a peaceful solution to the current
leadership dispute in our community. As the clergies and elders of this community, we voluntarily
undertook the mediation process for the sake of this community, and to ease tensions among the
members of Bor Community who were and continue to be constantly subjected to leadership wrangles.
The primary objective of the mediation was to create a platform for all parties to air out their concerns,
reach consensus, and attain peace and harmony in the community.

In the last few months, the image of Bor community here in Australia has been tarnished by the
leadership wrangles that have been embarrassing for the individuals, and for the wider community as
appallingly shown in social media, and particularly Facebook Live Shows that have been predominantly
punctuated with derogatory remarks, malice and rambunctious arguments or comments.

Despite all the social media noise and disingenuous debates that are hosted with treachery and full with
uncouth statements that are intended to please specific segments of the community, and to inflict
maximum damage to the opponents, the whole community knows the genesis of this feud. If ones look
at it, and analyses the initial issues, it would be sensible to conclude that the issues have degenerated
into conflicts between personalities. Such a situation indicates a total departure from the initial
argument. Thus, the current state of the Bor Community affairs is not a true reflection of who we are,
and it is unprecedented in our history as Buor to be divided over a mere association’s leadership.

It is the view of the elders and clergies of Pan-Bor that community associations must carry unity of our
people in the diaspora as their core value and developmental agenda as their measurable outcomes.
Thus, the current leadership impasse is uncalled for as Buor have an intrinsic principle of ‘One Leader
at a Time’.

In 2018, the Mediation Council had attempted to mediate and reconcile the two sides of the Bor
Community in two separate sessions in Melbourne. However, these crucial attempts that could have
yielded peace and unity in our community were not respected even though the wider community was
satisfied with the outcomes of our findings and resolutions that were read out on the 17th of November
2018, in Melbourne.

Despite the rising animosity between the parties, we still hope that peace and unity would be achieved
in the near future as it is a necessity that we must coexist in this community, the union where we all
belong and ought to live in peace as brothers and sisters for the greater good of Pan-Bor.

In this update, the elders and clergies of Pan-Bor in Australia would like to state that we have severally
approached the leadership of BCA of Australia which is currently under Mr Abraham Koor Abuol to
consider his stand regarding the current mediation process, but every attempt has been rebutted with
a rejection of the current mediation team.

Mediation Team Document NO-12

It is important to underscore that the committee of elders and clergies have no vested interest in any
leadership position. Thus, our calls were made in good faith, and it was the reason this committee
resolved to declare fresh elections late last year, which were also turned down.

We are afraid to report that the current mediation has come to a deadlock as the current team of eminent
elders and clergies has been rejected by the BCA of Australia due to unsubstantiated suspicions and
hearsay being used to question the neutrality of entire team. As elders and clergies of this community,
we did not easily give up, we have been quietly engaging Mr Abraham Koor Abuol, the president of
BCA of Australia since January 2019 in order to build trust and to provide an opportunity for him to
outline his reservations and put forward his proposal in regard to peace and unity of this community in
line with his 2018 leadership campaign and commitment to bring peace, but all these attempts were
also unsuccessful.

Nevertheless, Mith-Bor from the US and Canada had also used their community leaderships’ roles to
advocate for peace among Bor community members in Australia as they had approached Mr Andrew
Herjok, and also discussed at length with Mr Abraham Koor Abuol, who has been very vocal and
prescriptive on who should and should not take part in mediation. Consequently, their engagement led
the elders and clergies to invite the parties to Melbourne on the 20th of July 2019 for the handing over
of the mediation process but this genuine attempt was also publicly rejected by Mr Abraham Koor on
10 June 2019.

Considering that the BCA of Australia has consistently rejected all the reconciliations approaches made
by the elders and clergies of this community, including our most recent concerted effort with our fellow
elders and leaders from the US and Canada, we deemed it fit that the final authorities who have the
mandates and accountabilities for the progress or digress of this community are Mr Andrew Herjok
Apeech and Mr Abraham Koor Abuol. Thus, we would like to bring this to the attention of our community,
that the mediation team of clergies and elders have now handed back the process to the two leaders
as they are the overarching authorities in Australia.

Even though we have now handed over the mediation process to the two leaders, we have not
outsourced our role as elders and clergies in this community, and we also called on the two leaders to
neither outsource their responsibilities nor offload the blame to third parties. Therefore, we called upon
the two leaders to be courageous and talk to each other. They must note that they are running
community associations, not countries, and have the responsibilities to maintain the “Brand Bor” as
demonstrated by our brothers and sisters in their recent US Bor Community election.

As people who have been involved in the reconciliation process, we have listened to debates and
arguments, we have observed and analysed the situation. As a result, we recommend the following to
the community leaders and members of the Bor Community in various associations within Australia.

Mediation Team Document NO-12

1. Undertake Consolidation Vote to Resolve the Issue of two Community Associations: We
recommend that the leaders of the two camps must resolve the issue of two associations, which
the November 2018 Resolutions had anticipated as a potential problem, and it would, have been
resolved if the BCA of Australia accepted the resolutions. We believe that the existence of two
competing associations in our community would be a constant source of agitations. Therefore, we
recommend a consolidated vote to resolve this issue and to also create a pathway towards a single
community leadership. Many members of the Bor community have conceived this idea under
different names such as referendum or plebiscite, but we recommended consolidated voting as
the referendum and plebiscite require legal backing. It must be noted that acceptance of this
recommendation will imply the dissolution of the two leaderships, and requires the parties to
institute a technical committee to organise the vote and perform any other preparatory work or as
otherwise agreed by the parties.

2. Form a technical committee to harmonise the two constitutions and set an election date: It is upon
the parties to agree on the composition and membership of the technical committee.

3. General Election: As per the November 2018 Resolutions, we recommend that the parties should
go into an election under one association which would be determined through consolidated voting
as per recommendation No 1.

4. Reporting and Accountability: We recommend that an investigation should be carried out to find
out exactly what went wrong and how did a community that is known to be guided by strong values
and principles, known to be rational and calmative ended up in a mess, and eventually with two
associations. We believe that an objective investigation can only be conducted once the wounds
are healed and the community is under one leadership. Any attempt now to investigate to make
people accountable may be futile, and the truth may be covered and mired in counter-accusations.
It must be noted that peace must always come in advance of accountability.

Even though the above recommendations may not be exhaustive and they should not be, we believe
that these few high-level recommendations could be the starting point for the two parties as they work
towards uniting the community.

Finally, we thank Mr Andrew Herjok Apeech and Mr Mabior Garang Anyaar for their encouragement
and endorsement in 2018, we thank Mr Abraham Koor Abuol for having made himself available during
our phone conferences and meetings, we thank our brothers and leaders, Akol Aguek Ngong from the
US and John Abuoi Manyang from Canada for their effort towards the unity of Pan-Bor in Australia. Last
but not least, we appreciated the in-puts and support of all members of Pan-Bor in Australia irrespective
of their associations.

Remember to remind your leaders that the interest of Pan-Bor must always supersede individual
interest and that leaders must ensure peace and harmony prevail in our community here in Australia.

Blessings and Peace from the Lord

Mediation Team Document NO-12

Signed by the Leadership of Mediation Team

Dr Ajak Duany Ajak,

The Chairman of the Mediation

Reverend July Ngong Ayuen,

Deputy Chair of the Mediation Team

Reverend Daniel Bol Nyieth

The Clerk and Notary of the Mediation Team

Reverend John Aguto Majok Nyuon Thui

The Deputy Notary of the Mediation Team

Reverend Abraham Angau Amuom

Communication and Correspondent

Mediation Team Document NO-12