This paper is based on findings from more than 600 observations of customary and statutory courts by twenty South Sudanese researchers for the Justice and Security Research Programme (JSRP) from July 2015-July 2016. It identifies key issues for further deliberation based on research in the towns of Nimule, Torit, Rumbek, Yambio, Yei, Wau, and surrounding areas, in Juba town and United Nations Mission in South Sudan, Protection of Civilian Sites (UNMISS PoCs) in Juba and Bentiu. It builds on previous analyses that emphasised the importance of chiefs’ courts as a locus of civil authority engaged in making order, and an entry point for initiatives to promote and protect the rights of the vulnerable (de Waal and Ibreck, 2016).
08 October 2026
The CSRF will go on hiatus as feedback on a funding proposal for continued operations is pending. Normal operations continue until 31 October 2026. Please continue to use the resources on the website, which will be maintained into 2027 regardless of the funding situation. We ask for your understanding as new outputs, trainings, and events go on pause, or if queries go unanswered, from October onwards.
