PRE-PRINT Wunlit was the most successful peace meeting in the history of the Sudans, a meeting where customary authorities took a leading role. It brought together representatives of Nuer and Dinka communities west of the Nile, communities that had…
RVI publishes books, research reports, research papers, briefings and meeting reports in a range of formats. Publications cover policy, research, arts, culture and local knowledge in the countries of eastern and central Africa. Research publications—books, reports and papers—are peer-reviewed. Some RVI publications are also available in French and/or Arabic.
The RVI is a signatory of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (2001); all publications are free for download in PDF format under Creative Commons licences. The views expressed in books and reports published by the RVI are those of the authors, not the Institute.
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This report explains the realities of life for South Sudan’s youth population, the majority of whom are living in conditions of extreme economic precarity. Young people face enormous challenges in trying to survive and progress in their lives. This…
South Sudan is in a state of profound economic transition, heavily influenced by conflict and large-scale population displacement and return. This transition has fundamentally changed the way in which people live, particularly their relationship with work and money. The…
بعد وصوله إلى السلطة من خلال انقلاب عسكري في عام ١٩٨٩، حكم الرئيس عمر البشير السودان لمدة ٣٠ عامًا حتى تمت الإطاحة به في عام ٢٠١٩ بعد انتفاضة شعبية. بينما يُشار إلى البشير غالبًا على أنه ديكتاتور ومستبد، فقد…
بعد الإطاحة بالرئيس عمر البشير في أبريل ٢٠١٩، بدأ السودان عملية الانتقال إلى الديمقراطية. يشمل ذلك إنشاء مؤسسات تشريعية وقضائية جديدة تتوج بإجراء انتخابات (مبدئيًا من المقرر إجراؤها في أواخر عام ٢٠٢٢). من بين التحديات الرئيسية التي يجب معالجتها…
This briefing is part of RVI’s Sudan Elections Project, a short-term study on the history of elections in the country. The project examines the different factors that have shaped the course and consequences of elections in Sudan, while drawing…
This briefing is part of RVI’s Sudan Elections Project, a short-term study on the history of elections in the country. The project examines the different factors that have shaped the course and consequences of elections in Sudan, while drawing…
This briefing is part of RVI’s Sudan Elections Project, a short-term study on the history of elections in the country. The project examines the different factors that have shaped the course and consequences of elections in Sudan, while drawing…
From Dust to Dollar focuses on the borderland region between Sudan and Ethiopia, using gold-mining and trade to examine transnational flows of people and commodities across its semi-permeable frontier. Gold mining has shifted from being part of a long-term,…
South Sudanese people have extensive knowledge of infectious diseases and experience of organizing responses to epidemics during wars and other crises. There are multiple, locally-specific methods used by communities for interrupting infection transmission and managing epidemics. This report documents…
Recent Publications

Women in the Social Sciences and Humanities in Ethiopia: The case of Addis Ababa University
October 10, 2025
This preliminary assessment is part of the launch exercise of the Ethiopian Women Researchers’ Network (EWNET). Focusing on Addis Ababa University as a pioneering higher institution in the country, the study looks into the status of women within these disciplines
Iddir in Contemporary Social Science and Humanities Research in Ethiopia: Historicizing and theorizing local infrastructures of care
October 3, 2025
The second Ethiopian Women Researchers Network (EWNET) seminar was delivered by Desalegn Amsalu, Anteneh Tesfaye, Yasmin Bushra and Helen Zeru on 3 July 2025 at Addis Ababa University’s Alle School of Fine Arts & Design. EWNET SEMINAR SERIES REPORT The

The Role of Culture in Conflict and Peacebuilding among the Balanda and Jurchol Communities in Western Bahr el Ghazal
September 29, 2025
The aim of this ethnographic study is to explore the role played by cultural expressions in conflict and peacebuilding in South Sudan, with specific reference to song, dance and beadwork. This study aims to understand how symbolic communication is used