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Rift Valley Institute

Making local knowledge work

WAR AND THE BORDERLAND: NORTHERN BAHR EL-GHAZAL DURING THE SUDAN CONFLICT

The devastating war in Sudan between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has also had a profound impact on the country’s neighbours, particularly South Sudan. This is especially the case for areas that border Sudan, including Upper Nile, the Ruweng Administrative Area, and Northern Bahr el-Ghazal (NBG). RVI has been working […]

ELEPHANTS ARE STORIES NOW

UNDERSTANDING THE LOSS OF ELEPHANTS IN SOUTH SUDAN Introduction Elephants are iconic animals in South Sudan, featuring on bank notes and state flags and in many myths and sayings. ‘When the elephants fight, the grass suffers’ is one example widespread across the African continent: a popular expression about the effects that conflicts among political and […]

ETHICAL RESEARCH IN SOUTH SUDAN: A STATEMENT FROM ACADEMICS AND RESEARCHERS

In August 2022, a group of South Sudanese academics, early-career researchers, independent research consultants, research assistants and professors gathered at the Rift Valley Institute in Juba to discuss ethical principles and practices for an equal, vibrant research community in South Sudan. The meeting built on discussions on ethical research that RVI has been engaged in […]

THE REMAINS OF THE JPA: THE UNLEARNT LESSONS OF THE JUBA PEACE AGREEMENT

SUMMARY At its signing in October 2020, it was hoped that the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA) would finally address the root causes of the conflicts in Sudan. Three years later, it is clear that the most important legacy of the JPA is a continuation of the transactional politics that had characterised the reign of Omar […]

PAYING FOR PEACE: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF THE JUBA PEACE AGREEMENT

SUMMARY Sudan’s economy is based on resources that have been exploited via violence rather than through peaceful, sustainable means. As a result, those who have benefited are those who control the means of violence. Furthermore, the inequalities in wealth, power and human development between Sudan’s moneyed center and its diverse and impoverished peripheries are profound. […]

KEY ACTORS IN THE JUBA PEACE AGREEMENT: ROLES, IMPACTS, AND LESSONS

SUMMARY The Juba Peace Agreement (JPA) was negotiated beginning 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). Initial agreement was reached in August 2020 and the official signing took place on […]

Darfur: The Ongoing Crisis and Humanitarian Responses 

The horrific fighting in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, has grabbed news headlines since violence broke out on 15 April 2023. This violence shattered Khartoum’s reputation as an island of stability, with many noting that Khartoum had not been attacked in such a manner since the 19th century. The novelty of the attacks on Khartoum has however […]

Why did peace in Sudan fail? 

The role of international actors in the unravelling of the transition Since the revolution in Sudan in April 2019,  the international community has been involved in numerous rounds of peace agreements and transitional frameworks. However, all of these agreements have been violated and eventually collapsed.  On 21 June 2023, the Rift Valley Forum will host a roundtable […]

SUDAN CONFLICT: ASSESSING THE RISK OF REGIONALIZATION

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.  It is the second in a series of briefing papers from Rift Valley Institute for the UK government’s XCEPT (Cross-Border Conflict, Evidence, […]