The report “War, Migration and Work” examines the history of labour migration and labour relations in present day South Sudan’s Baher El-Ghazal borderlands with Darfur and Kordofan (regions of present day Sudan). Beginning in the nineteenth century, the report charts the evolution of the labour system from slavery to present-day forms of wage-labour, based on cash and debt. The report views this change in the context of the region’s long history of conflict, including the…
Entries by Rift Valley Institute
Until the latter part of the twentieth century, South Sudanese boys and girls grew food on household farms for their families to eat. Under this system, children’s work and education were hard to distinguish. Today, however, many boys and girls work for money outside of their household farm and use the money to support their education in schools. ‘Child Labour, Education and Commodification in South Sudan’ examines why this change took place and the effect…
Until the latter part of the twentieth century, South Sudanese boys and girls grew food on household farms for their families to eat. Under this system, children’s work and education were hard to distinguish. Today, however, many boys and girls work for money outside of their household farm and use the money to support their education in schools. Child Labour, Education and Commodification in South Sudan examines why this change took place and the effect…
This report is an account of the Wunlit meeting in the words of the original participants, conducted in the light of the continuing state of conflict in South Sudan and the relevance of the history of peace-making to the current political situation. It is produced as part of the South Sudan Customary Authorities Project, funded by the Swiss government. The goal of the project is to deepen understanding of customary authority in South Sudan, particularly…
South Sudan is in a state of profound economic transition, heavily influenced by conflict and large-scale population displacement and return. This transition has fundamentally changed the way in which people live, particularly their relationship with work and money. Young people, particularly women, have generally suffered disproportionately as they try to navigate this rapidly changing and often exploitative political economy. This report summarizes these broader trends and outlines how young men often have little option but…
Key points • Since Salva Kiir appointed Hussein Abdel Abgi as one of his five vice-presidents he has strengthened his control over the borderland region between South Sudan and Sudan, now occupying political space previously filled by Paul Malong (former SPLA Chief of Staff). • Abdel Bagi has deepened his control of the re-formed Northern Bahr el-Ghazal by successfully negotiating the appointment of Tong Aken Ngor (former governor of Aweil state), who operates under his…
Breaking Out of the Borderlands is the second report by Dr Nicki Kindersley and Joseph Diing Majok on South Sudan’s changing borderland economy. The first report in the series—Monetized Livelihoods and militarized Labour in South Sudan’s Borderlands—described the protracted state of social and economic crisis that has gripped the borderland region of Northern Bahr el-Ghazal. Breaking Out of the Borderlands takes the phenomena described in the authors’ earlier work—the monetization of land, life and work…
In April 2016, seventeen chiefs from different parts of South Sudan gathered in Kuron Holy Trinity Peace Village, in Eastern Equatoria, to discuss the role of customary authority in governance—past and present—and their own contribution to peacemaking and a future political transition. The Chiefs’ meeting at Kuron was the first time that traditional leaders from areas on opposing sides of the conflict had met in South Sudan since 2013. This report draws on a transcript…
Records the Rift Valley Institute Juba Lecture Series on the role of civil society in South Sudan, held in June 2016.
Series of RVI lectures addressing lessons of South Sudan’s historic peace agreements. Critical questions raised were why negotiations succeed or fail, role of civil society, implications of the peace agreements for current situation and when opportunities for peace present themselves.