Summary
This research paper reflects on the myriad ways in which militarised and criminalised forms of authority in South Sudan, specifically militias and gangs interpret norms around gender equality and the prevention of gender-based violence (GBV). It is founded on extended local fieldwork conducted throughout the first half of 2019 across four field locations, including: Wau Town in Western Bahr el Ghazal State; Yirol East in Lakes State; Ganyiel in Unity State; and the Juba Protection of Civilian (PoC) sites on the base of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in the capital city. It contemplates the complex position of the primarily male youth who comprise the basis of both gangs and militias, considering the ways that these groups transcend, resist and reinforce the patriarchal gender norms that underpin the otherwise high levels of GBV that have been witnessed in the country, especially since the start of the civil war on 15th December 2013. It shows that, even where parochialism is resisted, the perceptions and practices of these groups when it comes to gender and GBV strengthen traditional gender roles that equate women with wives and child-bearers and treat them as commodities in the country’s political marketplace. The result is that, despite changes to women’s roles and responsibilities as a result of the constant flux generated by protracted conflict, the secondary status of marginalised groups, such as women, has been systematically reinforced.