South Sudan: Renewable Energy for Peace

 The Stimson Center published in February 2023 a report titled "Renewable Energy & the United Nations: A Green Spark for Peace in South Sudan" by Eugene Chen, Flora McCrone, and David Mozersky.

The report looks at electricity access (7 percent of South Sudan's population) in relationship to South Sudan's conflict, which is exacerbated by an oil economy, and the options to harness renewable energy as a tool for peace and development.  

South Sudan's Lost Decade

 Foreign Policy published on 14 July 2021 a commentary titled "South Sudan's Lost Decade" by Lynsey Chutel.

The author noted that two-thirds of South Sudan's population is in dire need of humanitarian assistance.  As a result of disappointing leadership, South Sudan's first decade of independence has been tragic.

Sudan Backgrounder

The Congressional Research Service posted on 28 May 2019 an updated background piece on Sudan by Lauren Ploch Blanchard. It covers current issues and U.S. policy and assistance to Sudan.

Sudan and South Sudan: Violence Trajectories

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) published in March 2019 a study titled "Sudan and South Sudan: Violence Trajectories after Peace Agreements" by Julia Bello-Schunemann, senior researcher at ISS.

Sudan and South Sudan are among the African countries to have experienced the highest number of conflict fatalities between 2011 and 2017. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement didn't result in fundamental changes to Sudan's political order. Instead, it reinforced a pattern of political violence in which Khartoum crushes all political opposition with force. The 2015 Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan that called for a unity government to be followed by elections in a winner-takes-all context compounded incentives for political violence.

South Sudan: The Perils of Payroll Peace

UK Aid and the London School of Economics and Political Science published in March 2019 a paper titled "South Sudan: The Perils of Payroll Peace."

Payroll peace is the practice of putting large numbers of soldiers and civil servants on the state payroll as an incentive for them, and the belligerent parties, to accept a peace agreement. This has become standard practice in South Sudan. The paper argues that at best it is corruption, at worst it is violently explosive.

Micro Study on Power in a South Sudanese Village

The Rift Valley Institute published in 2018 a micro study titled "Wartime Trade and Reshaping of Power in South Sudan: Learning from the Market of Mayen Rual" by Naomi Pendle, London School of Economics, and Chirrilo Madut Anei, South Sudanese researcher.

This study looks at the capture and co-opting of wartime trade in the village of Mayen Rual and the contemporary conflict in the village of Nyinakook in former Warrap state.

Atrocity Prevention and US Policy toward South Sudan

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum published in July 2018 a detailed assessment titled "From Independence to Civil War: Atrocity Prevention and US Policy toward South Sudan" by Jon Temin.

The author identified four pivotal periods when the United States could have acted with greater conviction to prevent violence in South Sudan, but did not. For Each period, the author seeks to identify alternative policies that could have been considered and to assess whether those policies may have been able to prevent or limit violence.

South Sudan Power Sharing Agreement Doomed to Fail

African Arguments published on 4 October 2016 a commentary titled "Failing South Sudan: First as Tragedy, Then as Farce" by William Davison, Bloomberg News.

Davison suggests the power sharing arrangement between Salva Kiir and Riek Machar was doomed from the start. He argues that the international community must take a more thorough and honest assessment of the deep-rooted, age-old problems bedeviling South Sudan. Until policy is directed by an understanding that South Sudanese elites are unscrupulously battling for control of an under-formed state, then the remedies proposed will be insufficient. While Davison identifies the problem and suggests steps not to take, I don't see the solution in his analysis.

South Sudan over the Past Year

The Rift Valley Institute published on 26 May 2016 an overview titled "This Year in South Sudan" by Douglas Johnson and Guma Kunda Komey. It provides a brief review of key political and economic developments in South Sudan over the past year.

Sudan over the Past Year

The Rift Valley Institute published on 25 May 2016 an overview titled "This Year in Sudan" by Douglas Johnson and Guma Kunda Komey. It summarizes key political and economic developments in Sudan over the past year.

South Sudan: Conflict in Equatoria

The International Crisis Group (ICG) published on 25 May 2016 an analysis titled "South Sudan's South: Conflict in the Equatorias." It reports on continuing conflict in Equatoria region driven by a combination of national governance issues--federalism, security sector reform, and a new constitution--and localized grievances. Although conflict is on the wane in Equatoria, the new South Sudan peace agreement could revive contentious issues in Equatoria.

Sudan's Oil Industry

The Sudan Democracy First Group published on 20 January 2016 a report titled "Pursuing Transparency in Sudan 's Oil Industry" by Alsir Sidahmed, freelance journalist. 

The report constitutes a history of the oil sector in Sudan.  After losing two-thirds of its oil reserves in 2011 following the secession of South Sudan, the author notes that allegations of corruption and lack of transparency persist even though exports have stopped. 

South Sudanese Discuss the Lessons of Historic Peace Agreements

The Rift Valley Institute published in November 2015 a paper titled "We Have Lived Too Long to Be Deceived: South Sudanese Discuss the Lessons of Historic Peace Agreements" by multiple authors. 

The paper offers a variety of points of view on the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement, the 1999 Wunlit Conference, and the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

Alex de Waal Asseses Meltdown in South Sudan

Al Jazeera published on 12 April 2015 an article titled "Sudan Expert: International Community Enabled South Sudanese Corruption" by Sudan expert Alex de Waal, World Peace Foundation at Tufts University.

This is a solid analysis that takes direct aim at U.S. policy towards Sudan before and during the run up to South Sudan's independence.  The title of the article is unfortunate in that it implies the international community is responsible for corruption in South Sudan.  Corruption was a major problem in southern Sudan dating back to the 1960s and had little to do with the international community. 

Prospects for National Political Dialogue in Sudan

The International Crisis Group (ICG) published on 11 March 2015 a briefing titled "Sudan: The Prospects for 'National Dialogue'".  The ICG concludes that the prospects for a soft-landing to end Sudan's internal political differences are fading because the ruling National Congress Party is unwilling or unable to make necessary concessions.

South Sudan Peace Talks Collapse

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) published on10 March 2015 a commentary titled "South Sudan Peace Talks Collapse, Election Called Off" by Sebastian Gatimu of ISS Nairobi.  The author concluded that South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar have crushed the people's hopes by refusing to make the compromises needed for peace. 

Critique of US Policy in South Sudan

Foreign Policy published on 25 February 2015 a long critical analysis of US policy in South Sudan titled "Unmade in the USA: The Inside Story of a Foreign-Policy Failure" by Ty McCormick, associate editor at Foreign Policy.

The article seems to suggest that the United States failed to engage sufficiently at critical periods after the independence of South Sudan.  What the article fails to acknowledge is that key actors such as Salva Kiir and Riek Machar must have a predisposition to accept a solution if outside intervention is to have any impact.  It is not clear that predisposition is present. 

IGAD and the South Sudan Peace Process

The Juba-based Sudd Institute published on 7 December 2014 a policy brief titled "Inclusivity: A Challenge to the IGAD-led South Sudanese Peace Process" by Zacharia D. Akol, director of training at the Sudd Institute.

Akol argues that the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has been unable to convince the belligerent parties in South Sudan to accept the inclusion of the other parties in the talks.  Perceived or real, the appearance of partiality by IGAD, coupled with ostensible conflicting interests, critically overshadows IGAD's good work in terms of its determination to find a lasting peace in South Sudan. 

South Sudan Slides into Conflict

Chatham House published in December 2014 a study titled "South Sudan's Slide into Conflict: Revisiting the Past and Reassessing Partnerships" by Jeremy Astill-Brown, an associate at Chatham House.

The focus of the paper is the quality of the partnership between donors and South Sudan.  It argues that donors need to return to development activity in South Sudan while doing a better job of integrating political outcomes.

US Policy on Sudan and South Sudan

Donald Booth, US Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, gave a major policy speech on US relations with both countries at the Atlantic Council in Washington on 9 October 2014.  You can access the podcast and his written remarks titled "U.S. Policy on Sudan and South Sudan: The Way Forward" on the Atlantic Council website.

His remarks on South Sudan were a frank and hard hitting analysis of the failures in that country since independence.  He emphasized the United States remains committed to helping the people of South Sudan.  He was equally critical of the situation in Sudan but set down principles for a normalization of relations.