Test Drive | Page 19

  Increasingly   non-­‐traditional   mediators   are   involved   in   dispute   resolution.   These   are   governmental   actors   (NWRA  specialists,  court  judges  in  an  advisory  role,  district  authorities),  relatives  of  the  conflicting  parties,  and   local  NGOs.  Where  government  actors  are  called  in  to  mediate  in  disputes,  the  actors  are  mainly  municipal  or   district   authorities   or   the   NWRA.   The   roles   of   these   governmental   actors   are,   however,   sometimes   contradictory   and   never   decisive.   The   authorities   play   an   advisory   role,   but   limited   capacity   (financial,   personnel,   knowledge,   policy   instruments,   authority   and   legitimacy)   restricts   their   impact.   A   judge   might   provide  advice,  in  the  situation  when  the  cause  of  a  conflict  (such  as  deep-­‐well  drilling)  is  out  of  the  scope  of   the   tribal   dispute   settlement   system.   A   judge   may,   however,   interprete   the   Shari’ah   to   reach   a   solution   acceptable  to  both  parties,  based  on  for  example  analogies  in  the  Shari’ah.     There  are  several  challenges  all  arbitrators  and  mediators  currently  face:   • Local  leade '6