Summary This research paper reflects on the myriad ways in which militarised and criminalised forms of authority in South Sudan, specifically militias and gangs interpret norms around gender equality and the prevention of gender-based violence (GBV). It is founded on extended local fieldwork conducted throughout the first half of 2019 across four field locations, including: Wau Town in Western Bahr el Ghazal State; Yirol East in Lakes State; Ganyiel in Unity State; and the Juba…
Entries by Alicia Elaine Luedke
One of the most widely covered aspects of the current conflict in South Sudan has been the use sexual violence by rival factions of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and other armed groups. While this has had the positive effect of ensuring that sexual violence is an integral component of intervention strategies in the country, it has also had a number of unintended consequences. This paper demonstrates how the narrow focus on sexual violence…
The mass coverage of rape and other – related offences since the start of the conflict in South Sudan in December 2013 has highlighted the horrific scale of civilian abuse, shedding a much needed gender perspective onto violence dynamics in the country. Detailed accounts of sexual violence at the hands of South Sudan’s warring parties and their related forces have come to dominate commentary on the country’s conflict, suggesting that women’s (and at times men’s)…