In 1963, unrest in Sudan’s three southern provinces (today’s South Sudan) escalated into a civil war between the government and the Anya-Nya rebellion. The subsequent eight years of violence has hitherto largely escaped scrutiny from academic researchers and has remained a subject of popular imagination and politicised narratives. This article demonstrates how this history can be explored with greater nuance, thereby establishing a local history of a postcolonial civil war. Focusing on the garrison town…
Entries by Øystein Rolandsen
Trade and markets in weak states are often discussed in relation with violence, security and peace-building. A case in point are marketplaces in the Sudan-South Sudan borderlands where communities separated by insecurity and hostility meet, not only to trade but also to negotiate and exchange information. This does not imply that establishment of such markets automatically results in peace and stability. Based on new empirical research on the Amieth market in Abyei – an area…
This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of South Sudan. A main argument is that its political economy is fundamentally atypical: achieving independence in 2011 and dissolving into renewed civil war in 2013, South Sudan is suffering the crisis of a weak, neo-patrimonial guerrilla government, with fragmented military-political systems that stretch across its extensive borderlands. This report locates the current crisis within a longer and deeper context, and explores the power dynamics…
South Sudan is the world’s youngest independent country. Established in 2011 after two wars, South Sudan has since reverted to a state of devastating civil strife. This book provides a general history of the new country, from the arrival of Turco-Egyptian explorers in Upper Nile, the turbulence of the Mahdist revolutionary period, the chaos of the ‘Scramble for Africa’, during which the South was prey to European and African adventurers and empire builders, to the…
This article presents an investigation of the stunted peacekeeping economy in South Sudan in the period 2005–12, corresponding to the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) (2005–11) and the first years of its successor, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). The article explores ways in which UNMIS and UNMISS have interacted with the national and local (Juba-based) economy, both on the institutional level and as a collective of individuals. Link to publication
The article surveys the first year of the civil war that began in December 2013. It outlines the course of military engagements, the consequences of the civil war for the people of South Sudan and the ways in which a peaceful settlement has been sought. Download
Popular explanations for the outbreak of a new civil war in South Sudan have centred on ethnic factors and leadership personalities. This article demonstrates that the conflict is rooted in deep cleavages within the ruling political party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). When internal tensions came to a head in late 2013, a combination of neopatrimonial politics, a weak state structure and legacies of violence from the previous civil war allowed this to escalate…
The Torit Mutiny of August 1955 in southern Sudan did not trigger a civil war, but state violence and disorder escalated over the following years. We explore how the outlook and strategies of the government officials who inherited the state apparatus of the Anglo-Egyptian condominium contributed to this development. They perpetuated authoritarian and violent government practices based on a legalistic distinction between citizen and outlaw, while justifying their actions as part of a developmentalist and…
Since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 the state of Jonglei in South Sudan has experienced widespread local violence and insecurity. A generation of “youth in crisis” is perceived to be at the heart of the problem. Based on insights garnered from nearly 150 interviews in Jonglei, this PRIO Paper demonstrates that there is no “youth rebellion” in Jonglei. Instead, the past civil war and subsequent violence has contributed towards expanding the…
This article is a critical examination of four often-cited explanations for local violence in Jonglei, South Sudan. Download