Long-term Impact of South Sudan Flooding

 Deutsche Welle published on 4 August 2026 an article titled "South Sudan: How Climate Change Can Turn Toxic" by Buster Emil Kirchner and Marco Simoncelli.

Devastating flooding in South Sudan's Unity State in 2021 continues to have negative impacts on the environment and the wellbeing of people living in the affected area.  More than 50 of South Sudan's 400 oil wells remain submerged, which has contaminated water and farmland.  This has led to a variety of health problems.

South Sudan: Conflict Dynamics in Unity State

The Small Arms Survey published in December 2016 a lengthy report titled "A State of Disunity: Conflict Dynamics in Unity State, South Sudan, 2013-2015" by Joshua Craze and Jerome Tubiana with Claudio Gramizzi.

The paper surveys the first two years of the South Sudanese civil war and analyses its underlying conflict dynamics. Since the beginning of the civil war in December 2013, Unity State, the only majority-Nuer state in South Sudan, has experienced more violence than any other state. One of the primary reasons for conflict was a dispute over the governorship in 1997, which continues to contribute to tension in the state.

An Elusive Peace in South Sudan

Foreign Affairs published on 3 February 2015 a commentary titled "An Elusive Peace in South Sudan: Letter from Bentiu" by Jerome Tubiana.  It is a first person account of travels in South Sudan's Unity state in June 2014.  Tubiana describes the conflict between the government forces of Salva Kiir and the opposition group led by Riek Machar. 

Conflict in South Sudan: A Human Rights Report

The United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) issued on 8 May 2014 a thorough analysis titled "Conflict in South Sudan: A Human Rights Report."  It concludes that from the outset of the violence in December 2013, gross violations of human rights and serious violations of humanitarian law have occurred on a massive scale.  Civilians were not only caught up in the violence, they were directly targeted, often along ethnic lines. 

Scorched Earth in South Sudan's Unity State

New images from the Satellite Sentinel Project of !Enough confirm the systematic and intentional destruction of civilian homes in the town of Bentiu and in other parts of Unity State in South Sudan.  Bentiu has changed hands twice, with several rounds of bitter, protracted battles inflicting heavy damage on the city and neighboring areas. 

Continung Tension along Sudan and South Sudan Border

Foreign Affairs published on 8 October 2013 a letter from Jerome Tubiana, Sudan analyst at the International Crisis Group titled "Sudan and South Sudan Inch Toward War."  While the letter contains useful on the ground coverage of the situation along the Sudan-South Sudan border, the title of the letter is unfortunate.  It implies that South Sudan and Sudan are edging toward another war.  Localized border conflict continues to be a problem and could worsen, but neither Sudan nor South Sudan is interested in pursuing another devastating war. 

Sudan-South Sudan Border

Douglas H. Johnson, an expert on Sudan and member of the 2005 Abyei Boundaries Commission, is the author of When Boundaries Become Borders: The Impact of Boundary-making in Southern Sudan's Frontier Zones published in 2010 by the Rift Valley Institute in Nairobi. Click here to access the entire book.

On 2 May 2012, Johnson published on the Rift Valley Institute website a brief analysis of the dispute over Heglig. Although Heglig is internationally recognized as part of Sudan, he argued that the issue must ultimately be determined in terms of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and whether Panthou/Heglig is east or west of the boundary line established in 1931. He believes that if it is east, then it is part of Unity State in South Sudan. If it is west, then it is part of Southern Kordofan State in Sudan.

Click here to read his update on Panthou/Heglig.