This meta-analysis provides an overview of the literature available on South Sudan’s regional dynamics. Covering the 2011-2023 period, it explores the relations between South Sudan and its neighbors and the related political, economic and security implications. It provides a selection of relevant publications and extracts some of the most salient questions for donor-funding programming on these topics.
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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.
This article investigates contestations over the roles and legitimacy of gangs within the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Bentiu, South Sudan. Drawing on qualitative interviews, it argues that ‘gangs’ represented the medium through which everyday struggles and processes of social contestations were negotiated between youth, elders, and protection actors. Prevailing narratives of gangs as violent criminal entities structured conflict with elders and protection actors, but to their…
This article examines the forms of ‘civility’ promoted by South Sudanese NGO leaders and staff in their efforts to navigate a context of pervasive political repression. Drawing on in-depth, life-work history interviews, it shows how the careful cultivation of a ‘non-political’ identity was a way of securing space to operate in a highly militarised, politically restricted environment, of working across the divisions created by conflict, and of creating small spaces for change. The article also…
ABSTRACT This article attempts to position education not only in the peacebuilding debate but also in the larger good governance debate about what makes a resilient social contract. We subscribe in this paper to a theoretical perspective that attributes the driver of civil wars to governance deficit that is manifested in absence of resilient social contract in terms of sustained agreement between citizens and state. We then ask the key question of whether and how…
This book (OPEN ACCESS) provides a fresh perspective on conflict and peace-making that highlights the cosmologies and invisible entities that state, society and religious authorities draw on to claim or reclaim legitimacy and control. Drawing on archive, ethnographic and oral history research, as well as participant observations of the elite peace negotiations since 2013, Pendle describes the peace-making efforts of a range of actors from international diplomats to chiefs, Nuer prophets and local priests, to…
Whether or not, and if, when, and then, how? Open questions on South Sudan’s first elections planned for December 2024 abound. On the one hand is the people’s demonstrated will for election to happen rather sooner than later, on the other is the magnitude of challenges against the backdrop of slow implementation of the peace agreement – and fear that an election gone wrong could exacerbate violence and humanitarian crises. The FES South Sudan Office…
This year’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) reveals that 124 countries have stagnant corruption levels, while the number of countries in decline is increasing. This has the mostserious consequences, as global peace is deteriorating and corruption is both a key cause and result of this. Corruption and conflict feed each other and threaten durable peace. On one hand, conflict creates a breeding ground for corruption. Political instability, increased pressure on resources and weakened oversight bodies create…
This quarterly report of the Reconstituted joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) on the status of implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R_ARCSS) is prepared pursuant to article 7.9 of the R-ARCSS and covers the period of 1 January 2023 to 31 March 2023. It is prepared on the basis of reports received various sources, including reports from the Agreement institutions and mechanisms, RJMEC…
This book chapter discusses the history of urbanisation of Juba as the capital of South Sudan after the 2011 independence. The article explores how citizens’ expectations in relation to the urbanisation agenda differ from those of the elites, including on service delivery. Finally, it provides insights on how South Sudan’s urban authorities’ response to needs and challenges facing a growing urban population has contributed to violence. Download the book here.
In the aftermath of war, local government in Western Equatoria, South Sudan, set out to formalize urban land to make it more legible, less conflictual, and ready for the state’s vision of tomorrow. But the process proved problematic, and it caused and rekindled countless land disputes. Based on qualitative research at courts, county offices, and contested plots, this paper finds that these disputes were at their root about five competing normative repertoires about land distribution:…
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