Attempts to manage and resolve the conflict in South Sudan have seen the involvement of numerous international actors, including neighbouring countries—namely Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya—the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union (AU), the so-called Troika (United States, United Kingdom, and Norway), as well as the EU, China and the UN. Interviews with a cross-section of national stakeholders demonstrate a deep sense of scepticism about the efficacy of peacemaking and peacebuilding initiatives in…
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CSRF Research Repository
The CSRF Research Repository aims to support greater contextual knowledge for policy makers, programme managers, and implementers by providing a searchable repository of research, analysis, and resources, and providing periodic updates on new research and analysis.
Resilience is a dominant humanitarian-development theme. Nonetheless, some humanitarian-development programmes have demonstrably negative impacts which encourage vulnerable people to actively resist these programmes. Based on 12 months ethnographic fieldwork in a Ugandan refugee settlement during 2017–18, this paper argues refugee residents articulated their refusal of humanitarian failure and corruption through active, largely non-political, resistance. I term the diverse strategies used ‘resistant resilience’, arguing that the agency central to these practices require that assumptions about resilience are…
This article analyzes the role of UN sanctions in the context of peace negotiations in South Sudan from the outbreak of the civil war in December 2013 until the signing of the peace agreement in August 2015. Drawing on the literature regarding third-party intervention in civil wars, it explores whether the UN sanctions regime—established in March 2015—was conceived as an instrument of leverage to get the parties to agree to a settlement. The article asks…
This report explores the association between climate anomalies, population dynamics, conflict and organised violence in Sudan and South Sudan, at the sub-national level and for the years 1989-2015. The analyses are conducted using a spatial approach and with geocoded information on organized violence events, climate anomalies and population dynamics. Our results indicate a positive correlation of temperature anomalies with conflict and organised violence at the local level. Precipitation anomalies also positively correlate with organised violence,…
This context update aims to support a conflict-sensitive approach to decision making by aid actors and policy makers in South Sudan through an improved understanding of South Sudan’s context, conflict dynamics and how aid actors interact with the context. The analysis by the Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility (CSRF) is based on secondary data from various sources and qualitative data from some key informant interviews. This analysis covers a 3-6 month period (October 2021-March 2022), and…
Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) is endemic in South Sudan. Approaches to end VAWG are barely making a dent in prevalence figures. Global evidence tells us that ending VAWG in conflict-ridden contexts is challenging on many levels. Our research points to the need for social and gender norm change approaches to be better contextualised within the political economy and through applying a nuanced critique of the role of culture in normalising many forms of…
This report assess community perceptions of humanitarian assistance in South Sudan. It is based on Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), protection and conflict sensitivity data from the 2021 expanded Food Security and Nutrition Monitoring System (FSNMS+)assessment and seeks to inform an evidence-based approach to community-centred, accountable, and conflict sensitive response planning to support the operationalisation of the HCT’s AAP Strategy. Recommendations in this brief have been endorsed by the Communication and Community Engagement Working Group…
Social media is teeming with mixed reactions to Egypt’s plan to dredge the Bahr el Ghazal River to reduce the flood risks in South Sudan. In addition to the mixed public reactions, South Sudanese officials continue to contradict one another in the media, signifying lack of consensus on the project within the government. The Press Secretary in the Office of the President said the President was not aware of the project. The Minister of Environment…
South Sudan is at a crossroads in its efforts toward recovery, reconstruction, and development. South Sudan gained independence in 2011, in what was expected to be a new dawn for the conflict-torn country. At the time, optimism was high, given high commodity prices, the country’s abundant natural resources, and international goodwill. However, weak institutions and recurring cycles of conflict have curtailed progress, and often reversed gains. Initial peace efforts proved futile, and the country relapsed…
Every day, civilians suffer in violent conflicts. Attacks by armed forces, militias and rebel groups have left and continue to leave thousands dead or injured, and have resulted in the forced displacement of millions of people. To mitigate or end such violations, different actors – including NGOs, the UN, military forces, religious groups, and community leaders – often attempt to influence conflict parties to cease attacks on civilians and instead enhance their protection. Focusing on…
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