Power as peace. Change and continuity among Darfuri refugees in Tchad

Abstract

The thesis examines resilience and change in traditional systems of authority, with a specific focus on traditional systems of administration and conflict resolution. The aim is to examine social change and social continuity among the BeRà refugees in Tchad by looking at the effects of conflict and conflict induced migration on their traditional forms of leadership. The thesis focuses on leadership expressed through the ability of elders to be Ajawd (mediators) and thus to achieve Judiyya (amelioration). This work will theorize conflict and conflict resolution without removing it from its environmental, historical, cultural and political setting. The thesis will also historicize regional conflict and examine how current conflicts affect the lives of Darfuri refugees and their leadership in Eastern Tchad. This kind of analysis can best be accomplished if one takes a broader look at regional phenomena before trying to decipher the meaning of locally or culturally unique elements. Key findings of this work include the fact that Judiyya has continued in spite of four years in the refugee camps. Figures in Idara Ahalk [Native Administration] from Darfur, though unable to form reliable links with counterparts in Tchad due to ethnic rivalries and tensions, have been able to establish working links with Tchadien civil authorities, much as existed in Darfur prior to the war.