This artcile discusses how a religious idea informed the political behaviour of South Sudanese leaders in the context of civil wars and the associated bitter contest for leadership. The prophecy which is invoked in the leadership contest in South Sudan is the prophecy of the 19th century Nuer prophet, Ngundeng Bong believed to predicted the course and outcome of the South Sudanese civil wars. At the centre of the prophecy is the prophetic power claim…
Entries by Dereje Feyissa
The article examines how the South Sudanese civil war has impacted the social and political landscape of Gambella, Ethiopia’s western region with strong social, economic and political ties with South Sudan. The simmering political tension in the newly independent South Sudan exploded in December 2013 when forces loyal to the government led by President Salva Kiir and his former vice president Dr Riek Machar clashed and the conflict then spiralled into a civil war engulfing…