A reshuffle of Jonglei’s state government is underway, precipitated by the out-going leadership’s inability to quell chronic armed violence and raiding in the state.. While the current rainy season will prevent large-scale raiding in the coming months, attacks on humanitarian convoys and low-level raiding continue, with women and children abducted. There are alarming signs that abductions are becoming commercialized, with the money paid for abductees’ release being used to purchase ammunition and other materiel, sometimes bought from SSPDF soldiers.
‘A Pause Not a Peace: Conflict in Jonglei and the GPAA’— a new Situation Update from the Small Arms Survey’s Human Security Baseline Assessment for Sudan and South Sudan (HSBA) project — examines current political dynamics in Jonglei, prospects for peace, and what can be done to mitigate violence against civilians.