Customary Authority in South Sudan

The Rift Valley Institute published in 2019 a study titled "Making Order Out of Disorder: Customary Authority in South Sudan" by Cherry Leonardi, Durham University.

South Sudan's customary authorities--mostly, but not exclusively, termed as chiefs--played a key role as brokers between the rebels and local populations during conflict between the government of Sudan and southern rebels. Chiefs remain an important institution within local government and the justice system but the capacity of chiefs to enforce court decisions and resolve local conflicts is limited without government support. Chiefs continue to play a leading role in defining custom.