In the early hours of the morning of 24 May 2013, a group of South Sudanese vigilantes attacked the town of Obo in the Central African Republic (CAR), having covered the distance of 100 km from the South Sudan/CAR border to Obo on foot. An unprovoked international attack in violation of CAR’s sovereignty could be interpreted as an act of aggression under international law. At the least, one would expect subsequent diplomatic frostiness between the…
Entries by Mareike Schomerus
South Sudan’s secession was either an unavoidable outcome of a post-colonial betrayal of political promises or a surprising result of muddled and contradictory developments during which, at crucial points, dynamics nonetheless aligned. It was, this chapter argues, because of these contradictions that South Sudan came into being: from its colonial past through a series of rebellions with competing ambitions, via the contradictory 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (that supported both Sudan’s unity and southern autonomy), to…
This report reviews the myriad challenes and opportunities that arise from South Sudan’s subdivision debate and practices. It touches on the connection between authority, rights and territory. Download
The Arrow Boys, a militia in South Sudan’s south-western region, were established as a civilian protection mechanism. They are active in an area that has in recent years seen a resurgence of support for reinstating a particular position of traditional leadership, the Zande King. The Arrow Boys and the Zande King could be regarded as a nonstate answer to the official government. However, this paper argues that the dividing line in how citizens relate to the Arrow Boys and the…
This article compares two cases of securitization along South Sudan’s border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. By comparing how a security concern – the presence of the Lord’s Resistance Army – was interpreted and responded to, the article shows that border security practices in two borderscapes are improvised, contradictory and contested, and serve to establish authority rather than actually securing the border. This is apparent on three levels: (a) through the multiplicity of…
Since Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed, its border with Uganda has become a hub of activity. Contrasting developments on the Ugandan side of the border with those on the South Sudanese side, the paper draws on empirical fieldwork to argue that the CPA has created new centres of power in the margins of both states. However, in day-to-day dealings on either side of the border, South Sudanese military actors have become dominant. In…
This report offers a comprehensive account of the situation in then Southern Sudan in 2011, based on 300 interviews in various states. Identifies key issues that are likely to be as relevant for conflict dynamics today as they were in 2011. Download
This paper outlines the background and context to the insecurity in Eastern Equatoria State (EES) and Central Equatoria State (CES) in the years after 2005, focusing on why they have been so politically contested, and why they have such potential for large-scale violent conflict in addition to the low-level insecurities that have been a part of civilian life since the CPA was signed. In doing this, the paper attempts to cut through the often misleading…