This briefing paper focuses on the politics of violence in South Sudan. It examines the factors that led to the delay of the December 2024 elections among other development in the country. Looking at the role of Tumaini Peace in the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and the effects of the war in Sudan on politics in Juba and the violence occurring across the country, the paper finds the…
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CSRF Research Repository
The CSRF Research Repository aims to support greater contextual knowledge for policy makers, programme managers, and implementers by providing a searchable repository of research, analysis, and resources, and providing periodic updates on new research and analysis.
This article examines the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development’s (GAD’s) mediation in South Sudan. Focusing on the elements of liberal peace and alternative rationalised approaches, the article identifies discrepancies between the two approaches in IGAD’s mediation strategies. It also provides recommendations on how Africa’s regional bodies and mechanisms, such as IGAD, can re-evaluate its peace theory and practice, including considerations on the effectiveness of the declining liberal peace paradigm. Read more here
Focusing on body marks among Murle youth, this article explores the meanings that Murle youth attribute to them. The article finds that Murle youth associate body marks, depicting assault rifles, army ranks, mobile phones, UN acronyms, with urban and military culture. The article provides insights on how the meanings attached to body marks represents Murle’s quest for modernity and power. Read more here
Due to recent history of war, civil strife, extreme poverty and unrest, detailed studies on the impact of climate change in South Sudan are scarce. Focusing on the fisheries in the Sudd region of South Sudan, this article aims at informing on the impact that the substantially warmer and drier weather has had on their work. The research included direct data collection among fishers and agro-pastoralists, across 28 villages in upper Sudd, to identify both…
Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data from Uganda and South Sudan, this article considers return movements of refugees to uncover underlying causes. The study found that due to a number of factors, including gradual aid reductions, lack of livelihood opportunities in Uganda and severe hardship, South Sudanese refugees travel back to their homeland in hope of being able to financially support their relatives who remain in Uganda. The article argues that this phenomenon of returns…
This article discusses the different trajectories of a once-united Zande people and their respective positions in the nation-states of South Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR). The report argues that unlike Azande in CAR, Azande in South Sudan have emerged as a formidable and united force, partly due to the independence of South Sudan and the violence inflicted on them by Uganda’s Lord Resistance Army, resulting in the reinstatement of their fallen kingdom. The…
Focusing on the Wildlife Service’s management of wildlife, this article explores the intersection between conservation and conflict in South Sudan. The article found that the durability of South Sudan’s WLS amid years of chronic warfare is due to its militarized conservation approach, which stems from a legacy of colonial institutional antecedents, rebel governance and regime politics. The article provides insights on how the militarized approach to conservation has defined the pattern of wildlife politics, including…
This article considers return movements of refugees between Uganda and South Sudan, to investigate the motivation of returns as linked to the gradual reduction of aid and livelihood in Uganda. The article provides insights on an alternative understanding of returns to repatriation or empowering socio-economic opportunity, showcasing the split of South Sudanese households to sustain their life among hardship in Uganda, to effectively “fund their refugeehood”. Read more here
Using case studies of Warrap and Jonglei state, this paper explores the influence of songs and music on narratives around famine, related shaming, and accountability for famine-related suffering. This paper finds that songs have been used to rebuke soldiers for the appropriation of assets during times of hunger, and it discusses how the rebuke can create familial shame for causing faming-related suffering. The paper provides insights on how important songs can be in recording and…
This article explores the intersection between water, energy, and food system in South Sudan, by investigating the shift in environmental narratives from pre-2011 South Sudan to modern day. The paper argues that the drivers of the food insecurity in the country could be partly linked to the disconnect between the past environmental narratives and today’s aspiration shaped by political and economic power dynamics. Finally, the paper provides insights on how the water – energy -…
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