The paper reflects on the practice of good governance in South Sudan, focusing in particular on the forces hindering the fight against corruption in the country. Through data collection, the paper identifies the most common manifestations of corruption in South Sudan society as embezzlement, tribalism, and bribery, which thrive in the context of weak law enforcement system and economic catastrophe. Beyond its analysis, the paper provides recommendations for different stakeholders in the fight against corruption,…
Entries by Rift Valley Institute
This Anthology was developed by the Rift Valley Institute, and it includes their research produced over the period of 2001 and 2021. As such, the Anthology spans a vast array of topics, including elections, epidemics, mobilisation and resistance, war, etc. Read more here
This report (1 of a series of 3) provides an analysis of the key actors in the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA). The negotiations for the JPA started in September 2019 in the South Sudanese capital by representatives of Sudan’s new civilian-military transitional government and a collection of Sudan’s armed and civilian opposition groups comprising the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF). The initial agreement was reached in August 2020, with the official signing taking place on October…
This report discusses the political economy of the Juba peace agreement, which was signed by the government of Sudan and a host of rebel groups in 2020. The report argues that the JPA has tried but failed to address inequality between the centres and the peripheries. This is particularly due to its power and wealth sharing formula which favours peripheral militia leaders whose main priorities are the acquisition of wealth and gathering of loyalty, at…
This paper focuses on the potential for a regionalization of the conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), including external involvement by Sudan’s neighbours and cross-border spill-over. KEY POINTS There has been limited regional engagement in Sudan’s conflict and there are currently strong disincentives for involvement. For now, most regional states are hedging their bets and pushing for greater regional engagement in mediation efforts and an eventual peace negotiation….
The report “War, Migration and Work” examines the history of labour migration and labour relations in present day South Sudan’s Baher El-Ghazal borderlands with Darfur and Kordofan (regions of present day Sudan). Beginning in the nineteenth century, the report charts the evolution of the labour system from slavery to present-day forms of wage-labour, based on cash and debt. The report views this change in the context of the region’s long history of conflict, including the…
Until the latter part of the twentieth century, South Sudanese boys and girls grew food on household farms for their families to eat. Under this system, children’s work and education were hard to distinguish. Today, however, many boys and girls work for money outside of their household farm and use the money to support their education in schools. ‘Child Labour, Education and Commodification in South Sudan’ examines why this change took place and the effect…
Until the latter part of the twentieth century, South Sudanese boys and girls grew food on household farms for their families to eat. Under this system, children’s work and education were hard to distinguish. Today, however, many boys and girls work for money outside of their household farm and use the money to support their education in schools. Child Labour, Education and Commodification in South Sudan examines why this change took place and the effect…
This report is an account of the Wunlit meeting in the words of the original participants, conducted in the light of the continuing state of conflict in South Sudan and the relevance of the history of peace-making to the current political situation. It is produced as part of the South Sudan Customary Authorities Project, funded by the Swiss government. The goal of the project is to deepen understanding of customary authority in South Sudan, particularly…
South Sudan is in a state of profound economic transition, heavily influenced by conflict and large-scale population displacement and return. This transition has fundamentally changed the way in which people live, particularly their relationship with work and money. Young people, particularly women, have generally suffered disproportionately as they try to navigate this rapidly changing and often exploitative political economy. This report summarizes these broader trends and outlines how young men often have little option but…