This report looks at one of the most important yet contested political processes in South Sudan: the process of drafting a permanent constitution. It takes a social science perspective and focuses, in particular, on the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion in the constitution-making process. The report argues that temporary constitutions negotiated in closed settings can increase conflict levels within a country. In South Sudan, for example, the President failed to prioritise the review of the Interim Constitution. While it is difficult to conclude whether this decision was deliberate or not, it undoubtedly reinforced power contenders’ beliefs that the only possibility they had to renegotiate the political settlement was through violent means.

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