THE PRICE OF LIFE: REVOLUTIONARY AGENCY AND POLITICAL IMPASSE IN POST-BASHIR SUDAN
In Sudan, the revolutionary upsurge of 2018/2019 signalled the implosion of the country’s postcolonial political order. The political parties of old have seen their social bases wither away and their ideological hold over the Sudanese people corrode under the sustained pressure of a hyper-extractive political economy. The so-called ‘transitional period’ that followed the overthrow of […]
ONE YEAR AFTER THE COUP: WHAT NEXT FOR SUDAN’S JUBA PEACE AGREEMENT?
This briefing considers the changing political situation in Sudan with a particular focus on the future of the Juba Peace Agreement ( JPA). It explores how the relationship between two key factions in the conflict has complicated the ongoing discussions around the formation of a new political arrangement in Sudan. Contrary to what many in Sudan’s […]
FIXING THE PRICE: THE POLITICS OF THE KHAT TRADE BETWEEN ETHIOPIA AND SOMALILAND
As part of a wider attempt to increase export revenues amidst weak economic performance, Ethiopian authorities doubled the price of khat for exports to Somaliland and Djibouti in April 2022. Following much controversy, the decision was reversed a few months later. What was behind this trade price ‘fix’ and why does it matter? This report […]
PURCHASING INSECURITY: THE AFRICAN RED SEA REGION AND THE GLOBAL FOOD TRADE
The African Red Sea Region does not produce enough food to feed its own population. Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somaliland (Somalia) are each reliant on imports to make up for domestic production shortfalls. This presents unresolved challenges to the food security of the region. The regional food system is currently in crisis because it […]
The Costs of Peace
This is the first paper in a series considering the future of Sudan’s Juba Peace Agreement (JPA) and peace-making after the fall of Omar al-Bashir in 2019. It was commissioned by the Rift Valley Institute for the UK government’s XCEPT (Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends) programme. XCEPT brings together leading experts to examine conflict-affected […]
What next for Sudan’s peace process? Political and Security Dynamics in the East
This briefing considers the changing political situation in Sudan with a particular focus on the future of the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA) and the evolving political and security dynamics in the east of the country. It considers the role the agreement played in exacerbating the unresolved historical and political inter-communal tensions which the transitional government and the […]
War, Migration and Work – Agricultural Labour and Cross-Border Migration from Northern Bahr el-Ghazal, South Sudan
War, Migration and Work examines the history of labour migration and labour relations in present day South Sudan’s Baher El-Ghazal borderlands with Darfur and Kordofan (regions of present day Sudan). Beginning in the nineteenth century, the report charts the evolution of the labour system from slavery to present-day forms of wage-labour, based on cash and debt. […]
DROUGHT IN ETHIOPIA’S SOMALI REGION AND CROSS-BORDER STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVAL
This blog is the third in a series published by the Rift Valley Institute to help understand the causes of the drought-related crisis in the Somali regions of the Horn of Africa. It is a product of the UK government’s XCEPT (Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends) research programme. Read blog 1 on the drought in Somaliland here; and blog 2 […]
What next for Sudan’s peace process? Evolving political and security dynamics in the Two Areas
This briefing considers the changing political situation in Sudan with a particular focus on the future of the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA) and the evolving political and security dynamics in the Two Areas. It is the third in a series of rapid response updates by the Rift Valley Institute for the UK government’s XCEPT (Cross-Border […]
Child Labour, Education and Commodification in South Sudan
Until the latter part of the twentieth century, South Sudanese boys and girls grew food on household farms for their families to eat. Under this system, children’s work and education were hard to distinguish. Today, however, many boys and girls work for money outside of their household farm and use the money to support their […]