Traditional Leaders Profiles
Chief Madalina Tito Ohirong Ohire, Chief of the Lopit,
Lopa County, Eastern Equatoria
‘There’s no more
need for bitter words, though they remain in my mind.’
Former policewoman Chief Madalina Tito Ohirong Ohire recalls
her appointment as chief in 1995 in less than happily reminiscent
terms. ‘I was afraid, astonished, and I didn’t
want it. There was a shortlist of 3, 2 others and me.’
But in the 11 years since, it is apparent that Madalina has
come to relish her role as chief. ‘[In retrospect],
I was not pleased with the injustice in the police forces.
I worked for 22 years in Juba, Torit, Equatoria. In 1992 there
was high tensions, imprisonment of young people in the war.
My husband was murdered in 1992. [We] smuggled [for] people
to help the youth,’ she says. ‘[I thought] I could
do better risking my life to negotiate with the officials.
Now, I see my role is to present the needs to the government.
We need to remind them. I have 58 villages to look after.’
She refuses to be drawn further on events of the past, saying,
‘there’s no more need for bitter words, though
they remain in my mind.’
Madalina makes a point of greeting all the female officials
we meet, and is especially pleased by the women police officers
we see in Botswana, stopping to pose for a picture with them.
She remarks on the country’s cleanliness, and bemoans
the amount of effort expended on these basic tasks in Sudan.
‘Juba is so dirty!’ But she is hopeful that things
will be different for the next generation of Sudanese girls.
‘The emphasis is now on girls’ education. Of course,
I did not go to the school, and the task is tough for women.
I am still a student, at adult school. [I hope] there is an
opportunity to appoint another woman. Women are free, there
is the freedom of a woman to settle cases independently.’
As a member of the Lopa court, Madalina sees a clear division
between the political and judicial roles of chiefs. ‘It
is a good idea for us not to be involved in politics,’
she says. ‘We have lots of problems already, problems
of cow, marrying underage girls. Marriage is the biggest issue
– on credits, instalment.’
Lopa suffered from the worst years of the Lord’s Resistance
Army’s Sudanese incursions, but Madalina is hopeful
the peace process will yield results. In Southern Sudan, ‘it
was bad. There was confusion, insecurity in general. No one
can identify whether they were Sudanese. But now it is ok.’
But she is wary of the greater Sudan peace process so far.
‘I hope that we don’t enter another war, now that
the peace is lasting [but] the principle of implementation
is now failing. Until we see the implementation then we will
know.’
