Update: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the RVI Sudan and South Sudan course initially scheduled for 4-8 July 2022 will not proceed at the moment. RVI is looking into the possibility of postponing it to a later date in the year and will keep this page/thread updated with new information over the next few weeks.
The 2022 Sudan and South Sudan course covers all areas of Sudan, South Sudan, and the borderlands between them. It provides an overview and current analysis of the causes of ongoing and historical conflicts in the Sudans and the prospects for resolution.
Dates: 04 - 08 July, 2022
Location: Kenya
Envisioning Peace-building and the Futures of the Sudans
Sudan and South Sudan (‘the Sudans’) have both experienced periods of intense conflict and political change during the last decade. Since 2019, when the RVI Sudans course was last held, seismic changes took place in Sudan with the removal of President Omar al-Bashir by the military, the creation of a transitional government and the signing of the Juba Peace Agreement with some of the country’s erstwhile rebels. However, a coup in October 2021 saw the military remove key members of the civilian government, putting into doubt the broader transition.
In South Sudan, the implementation of the 2018 ‘Revitalized’ peace deal between the government of Salva Kiir and the opposition has been dogged by delays and intense political differences between parties to the agreement. While violence is reduced, conflicts – influenced by the national political picture – continue in South Sudan’s peripheries. Both countries are now looking towards elections that will, eventually, mark the end of the transitional political agreements currently in place.
With these uncompleted transitions in mind, this year’s RVI Sudans course – directed by Kuyang Logo and Alden Young – will consider the future of the two peace agreements in the context of the political and social changes seen in the two countries. A Q&A brief prepared by course convenors provides more context of the main regional events.
The course explores themes such as modern history and social worlds, issues of state formation, extractive policies and local livelihoods, and contemporary conflicts and political change among others topics featuring some of the most seminal academics and public thinkers on these issues.
The below syllabus highlight of Sudan and South Sudan 2022 provides a breakdown of the themes covered and teachers on the course.
Sudan and South Sudan – Highlights of the Syllabus
DAY 1 Introduction to Sudan and South Sudan: Modern History and Social Worlds
- The political history of Sudan and South Sudan
- The material basis of conflicts in the Sudans
- Migration and movement in the Sudans
DAY 2 State Formation and Resistance
- The military and the state in Sudan and South Sudan
- Filling in ‘voids’ for governments in times of crises
- Protests and popular movements in the Sudans
DAY 3 The Extractive State and Local Livelihoods
- How to make ends meet in the Sudans
- Food security, basic income and agricultural reforms
- The political economy of violence in Sudan and South Sudan
DAY 4 Contemporary Conflicts and Political Change
- Religion and belief in Sudan and South Sudan
- Genealogies of insurgency and the state of armies
- Peace making and justice in the Sudans
DAY 5 Interventions, Agreements and Future Prospects
- A history of interventions
- Humanitarianism and aid in the Sudans
- Future prospects and reflections
Teachers
Kuyang Logo, Lecturer, University of Juba
Alden Young, Assistant Professor, UCLA International Institute
Munzoul Assal, Professor, University of Khartoum
Nicki Kindersley, Cotemporary Historian and Lecturer, Cardiff University
David Deng, Human Rights Lawyer
Yasir Zeidan, PhD candidate, University of Washington
Magdi el-Gizouli, Sudanese Academic & Fellow, Rift Valley Institute
Leben Moro, University of Juba
For more information visit the main annual courses page.
