Entries by Augustino Ting Mayai

December 15, 2017, marked 4 years of a political turmoil in an independent South Sudan. This has culminated in the country’s widespread insecurity, an unmatched humanitarian tragedy, and a heightening economic distress. This misery deepens as a host of efforts to stamp the instability continue to falter, one after another. Since 2014, several political settlements have been reached and nearly all of them have failed wholesale. The latest Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoH), signed on…

This briefing discusses the increase of armed groups in South Sudan and its implications of violence.

In this weekly review, the Sudd Institute attempts to shed light on the expansion of states in South Sudan. The analysis looks at the driving factors behind the decisions, implications in the context of economic viability, constitutionality, and timing of the decision. The authors believe that, although there are plausible merits to the creation of additional states, it could turn negative, depending on how the political stakeholders manage it. The analysis provides detailed discussions on…

This analysis of 2015 assesses the effectiveness of anti-corruption, accountability, and transparency measures in South Sudan. It finds that, despite a gamut of initiatives, both legal and administrative, corruption in the country remains pervasive, presumably owing to incredibly ineffective accountability and transparency measures.

This review discusses the resettlement of South Sudanes refugees over a decade ago in the state of Utah (USA) and what it signifies for restoring peace in South Sudan.

This review (2015) argues that military victory by any side is unrealistic as are celebrations of military victories futile. It sees a negotiated settlement as the only exit to disaster. In the meantime, the toll on civilians and future generations mounts.

This weekly review comments on current public debates on federalism in South Sudan, primarily clarifying some of the issues that appear blurred in the catechism of and demand for political transformation in the country. The paper suggests that the ongoing demands for federalism as a system of governance in the country, not the implementation of such, clearly demonstrate how misunderstood this widely discussed political philosophy truly is. As well, drawbacks of federally decentralized system are…

This policy brief discusses the national census, implications of the current (2014) violence, and the long-term implications of empty political assurances. Download

This review attempts to analyze political, social, and institutional causes of the unrest shortly after its start in December 2013.