Written by Mareike Schomerus
A State of Contradiction: Sudan’s Unity Goes South
South Sudan’s secession was either an unavoidable outcome of a post-colonial betrayal of political promises or a surprising result of muddled and contradictory developments during which, at crucial points, dynamics nonetheless aligned. It was, this chapter argues, because of these contradictions that South Sudan came into being: from its colonial past through a series of…
Read MoreSouth Sudan’s Civil War Will Not End with a Peace Deal
In early 2017, the government of South Sudan declared that parts of the country had been hit by severe famine. This famine was another sign of the many ways in which a disastrous war was killing people. South Sudan had at that point been in a civil war for three years, with the humanitarian situation…
Read MoreFettered Self-determination: South Sudan’s Narrowed Path to Secession
The interpretation of self-determination as a vote for secession shaped the state that South Sudan has become since the 2011 referendum. Self-determination, this paper argues, is a democratic political process in which citizens determine their preferred form of statehood and nature of governance for their country. In South Sudan, however, political actors—with international support—established conditions…
Read MoreSouth Sudan Country Evaluation Brief
The purpose of this Country Evaluation Brief is to present relevant knowledge about donors’ development efforts in South Sudan. The brief systematises relevant findings from existing evaluations of development interventions in the country. Download
Read MoreConsidering the State: Perspectives on South Sudan’s Subdivision and Federalism Debate
This report reviews the myriad challenes and opportunities that arise from South Sudan’s subdivision debate and practices. It touches on the connection between authority, rights and territory. Download
Read MoreNon-state security providers and political formation in South Sudan: the case of Western Equatoria’s Arrow Boys
The Arrow Boys, a militia in South Sudan’s south-western region, were established as a civilian protection mechanism. They are active in an area that has in recent years seen a resurgence of support for reinstating a particular position of traditional leadership, the Zande King. The Arrow Boys and the Zande King could be regarded as a nonstate answer to…
Read MoreImprovising border security: ‘A situation of security pluralism’ along South Sudan’s borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo
This article compares two cases of securitization along South Sudan’s border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. By comparing how a security concern – the presence of the Lord’s Resistance Army – was interpreted and responded to, the article shows that border security practices in two borderscapes are improvised, contradictory and contested, and serve…
Read MoreDeals and Dealings: Inconclusive Peace and Treacherous Trade along the South Sudan–Uganda Border
Since Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed, its border with Uganda has become a hub of activity. Contrasting developments on the Ugandan side of the border with those on the South Sudanese side, the paper draws on empirical fieldwork to argue that the CPA has created new centres of power in the margins of…
Read MoreSouthern Sudan at odds with itself: dynamics of conflict and predicaments of peace
This report offers a comprehensive account of the situation in then Southern Sudan in 2011, based on 300 interviews in various states. Identifies key issues that are likely to be as relevant for conflict dynamics today as they were in 2011. Download
Read MoreViolent Legacies: Insecurity in Sudan’s Central and Eastern Equatoria
This paper outlines the background and context to the insecurity in Eastern Equatoria State (EES) and Central Equatoria State (CES) in the years after 2005, focusing on why they have been so politically contested, and why they have such potential for large-scale violent conflict in addition to the low-level insecurities that have been a part…
Read More