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This article reviews five recently published books on the history of South Sudan and the Sudan. Nicki Kindersley identifies common aims of the books including: to bind the Sudans into their geographical and intellectual context; to illuminate histories previously hidden by a common but limited research focus on Sudans’ states and wars; and to reexamine methods and sources, particularly in the search for histories beyond elites and central state politics. Nicki Kindersley reviewed the following…

After the independence of South Sudan from Sudan on 9 July 2011, the Japanese government decided to dispatch its Self-Defence Forces (SDF) to South Sudan under the auspices of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS). Despite the post-conflict military clashes in South Sudan, the Japanese government did not withdraw the SDF, but instead, the Abe administration assigned a new mission, the so-called ‘kaketsuke-keigo’ (‘rush and rescue’), to rescue staff of…

This article examines the public authority of chiefs’ courts within the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Protection of Civilians Sites (PoCs). After December 2013, UNMISS peacekeepers opened the gates of their bases to around 200,000 civilians fleeing war. This unintentionally created a legal and political anomaly. Over time, conflicts and crimes rose within the sites, and UNMISS improvised a form of administration. But while the internationals sought technical solutions, people displaced within the…

Over the past year, political and military actors and agendas in South Sudan have increasingly fragmented, and the political process has stalled. These developments have undermined the security of civilians, the stability of the country, the humanitarian situation, and the viability of efforts to pursue sustainable peace. The population’s mistrust toward international actors has further curtailed the ability of the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) to implement its mandate. In anticipation…

South Sudan is a fragile country. South Sudan is one of the most food insecure countries in the world. Conflict and long standing economic and social changes are disrupting agricultural production, markets, and community livelihoods, which are consequently increasing food insecurity and poverty rates in South Sudan. Though the current macro-economic crisis threatens to worsen food security even further, it also presents an opportunity to tap into South Sudan’s vast agricultural potential. Conflict sensitive efforts…

This policy paper evaluates the prospects of peace in South Sudan within the context of the recently proposed revitalization process of the 2015 political pact. The paper broadly argues that the revitalization process is important, but it must contend with factors that led to the collapse of the original agreement. Highlighting this, the brief discusses how the design of the security arrangements and transitional justice mechanisms in the ARCSS might have led to the faltering…

In June 2016, PAX and partners came together in Naivasha, Kenya, to reflect on ten years of cross-border peace work in the borderlands of South Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, one of PAX’s longest-standing peacebuilding programmes. Over the course of three days, we discussed a broad array of subjects, from the most relevant shifts in context and key moments in the development of the programme, to peacebuilding methodologies and the main successes and challenges. Immediately afterwards,…

Humanitarian or development assistance delivered in complex, highly contested and conflict-affected contexts such as South Sudan will inevitably impact on conflict dynamics. These may be positive or negative, direct or indirect, intentional or unintended. Conflict sensitivity is an approach that helps humanitarian and development actors maximise the potential positive, and minimise any potential negative impacts of their interventions on conflict. This document provides context-specific guidance on conflict sensitivity for agencies operating in South Sudan.

This briefing document of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification outlines the key findings on the food security situation in South Sudan. It suggests that South Sudan entered the harvest season in September 2017 with 6 million people (56% of the total population) estimated to be severely food insecure , out of which 40,000 are in Humanitarian Catastrophe and 2 million are facing Emergency (IPC Phase 4) food insecurity. Post-harvest gains in October-December 2017 are…

On October 25th, 2017, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, visited Juba, South Sudan, as part of the first most high-profile tour of Africa by a senior US official since Donald J. Trump became President of the United States of America. The visit covered Ethiopia, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The visit was highly anticipated because it is thought as offering the first opportunity for the Trump Administration…

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