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Displaced Tastes is a research project run by the Rift Valley Institute in partnership with the Catholic University of South Sudan under the X-Border Local Research Network. The project examines the changing tastes for food in South Sudan in the context of the country’s economic transition and place in the regional, cross-border economy of grain. In this piece, Elizabeth Nyibol describes the lifestory of her aunt, Mary Ajok Wetkwuot, who throughout her life has demonstrated…

This research project  “Historical and Political Dynamics of the NGO Sector in South Sudan” has published a short policy paper for humanitarian donors and funders seeking to provide a more enabling environment for South Sudanese NGOs. Exploring the reality of the struggles and strategies of local and national organisations during complex emergencies, the paper outlines recommendations for donors and funders relating to each of the project’s key findings as published in the full report. Download

Bringing local perspectives to global debates on localisation, this report makes a rare contribution to knowledge on the everyday efforts and motivations of South Sudanese NGOs, and structural issues within the aid sector. The report makes the following key arguments: South Sudanese NGOs have expanded in waves during humanitarian crises. These waves of expansion have entrenched assumptions that South Sudanese NGOs should tolerate higher risks than their international counterparts. Long-standing funding patterns (including short-term projects…

This brief sketches the outcomes of the first phase of a USIP-funded research project investigating public perceptions of peace in South Sudan. The project is implemented from 2019-2021 by Detrco under principal investigator David Deng.  In preparation for a large-scale survey, the first stage consisted of stakeholder interviews and focus groups in five locations across South Sudan. Download

Education is not only a human right. It is also tool for peacebuilding. In 2019, Reuben Garang conducted a feasibility study with South Sudanese refugee families living in refugee camps in Uganda. This project and report were fueled by Garang’s own personal experiences with periods of interrupted schooling both in refugee camps and in Canada. And it was fueled by the fundamental insight that education can serve as a tool for peacebuilding and mutual understanding…

Taking the Ethiopia-South Sudan borderlands as a case study, Rethinking Aid in Borderland Spaces: The case of Akobo argues that the traditional modalities of the aid industry are not fit for purpose in a world where transnationalism is a daily reality for communities, even—perhaps even especially—in the most geographically remote locations. The transnational networks that shape much of daily life operate outside of the control of state actors, and understanding and engaging with them therefore requires an…

​This article assesses when diversity becomes a curse in Africa. The review of literature on the causation of civil wars shows gaps, weaknesses and lack of holistic framework of analysis. It is argued in this article that the risk of violent conflict is better explained in Africa by absence of social contract as a manifestation of governance deficit rather than the presence of grievances and greed. Recognizing these gaps, this article uses the heuristic social…

China’s new, assertive role in UN peacekeeping, especially in Africa, represents a significant shift in Beijing’s peace and security posture that is not yetfullyreflected in official discourse and rhetoric, but that reflects China’s new confidence with its global power status. Every significant adaptation in its peacekeeping policy has reflected an important shift in the country’spracticalforeign and security policy. Tracing and tracking China’s peacekeeping policy and practice is thus a useful proxy for analysing the evolution…

Gender-based violence (GBV) is pervasive throughout South Sudan. The renewed fighting in 2016 has only worsened the deep suffering and humanitarian needs of civilians, with conflict seriously exacerbating gendered violence. GBV has devastating impacts, resulting in long-term physical, psychological and social traumas that can affect individuals, families and communities for decades. The effects of such violence are further compounded by lack of access to appropriate medical and psychological support, as well as a lack of…

Brief introduction This Consultancy Report of MFA/NCA Scholarship Programme for young South Sudanese covers the period 2004 to 2019. The evaluation assessed the impact of the MFA/NCA scholarship programme on South Sudan Society since 2004 including the period after independence of South Sudan. The MFA/NCA Scholarships under the evaluation consists of the Women Scholarship Programme and Master Degree Programme in Multicultural and International Education. The Women scholarship programme 2003-2011 was carried out by NCA. While…

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