Federalism in the history of South Sudanese political thought
‘In South Sudan there is no system of governance so popular—yet so little understood—as the federal system. Historically the demand for federation with North Sudan was seen as the way to keep Sudan united, and the absence of such a system was held up as one of the causes of the long wars between North […]
Nuruddin Farah remembers Chinua Achebe
The life of the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe (1930-2013) was celebrated on 6 May 2014 at Bard College, New York, where Achebe taught for many years. There were spoken tributes from Nigerian author and art historian Teju Cole, from historian Myra Armstead, and from anthropologists Yuka Suzuki and John Ryle. The Somali writer Nuruddin Farah […]
LAPSSET: A Transformative Project or a Pipe Dream?
Key points The LAPSSET project has transformative potential for the neglected north of Kenya and for East African regional integration. A major challenge is safeguarding the environment, and the rights and livelihoods of those whose lands the project will cross. Each element of the project carries a significant economic and social cost. Engagement with communities […]
Horn of Africa Course 2016
Scope of the course The Horn of Africa Course covers Ethiopia, the Somali regions, Eritrea, Djibouti, and northern Kenya. The social and political histories of each country in the Horn of Africa are examined to contextualise the continuities and transformations that are taking place across the region. A variety of disciplinary perspectives and new research […]
Sudan and South Sudan Course 2016
The 2016 RVI Sudan and South Sudan Field Course will take stock of the world that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement made in the tenth year after it was signed. The democratic transformation promised by the CPA has not taken root in either country. In Sudan the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has further entrenched its position […]
جيب كفيا قنجيالبشر والسياسة والتاريخ في محور الحدود الشمالية – الجنوبية لغرب السودان
تُعتبر كفيا قنجي الواقع على الطرف الغربي الأقصى للسودان نقطة إلتقاء رئيسية بين دارفور وجنوب البلاد؛ وتخضع هذه المنطقة الغنية بالمعادن حالياً لإدارة جنوب دارفور، لكن من المتوقع إعادتها إلى مقاطعة راجا في جنوب السودان بموجب بنود اتفاقية السلام الشامل لعام 2005. ويحكي هذا التقرير الثاني من سلسلة تقارير الأراضي المتنازع عليها، المستند إلى بحث […]
My Mother Will Not Come to Juba
In South Sudan delays in the making of the national constitution have led to public concern. My Mother Will Not Come to Juba: South Sudanese debate the constitution is the record of three evenings of public lectures at the University of Juba. Speakers at the event examined the reasons for the delay, the issues at stake in […]
We Have Lived Too Long to Be Deceived
In December 2013, South Sudan descended into conflict. Peace initiatives over the following eighteen months culminated in an agreement between government and armed opposition, signed in August 2015. While the agreement came into effect in late 2015, many uncertainties surround its implementation. Do previous conflicts and agreements hold useful lessons? Academics, activists and church representatives […]
South Sudan: Beyond the ceasefire
On Friday, 27 February 2015, the Nairobi Forum invited author Eddie Thomas to launch his new book South Sudan: A Slow Liberation in a panel discussion at RVI’s office in Nairobi. Peter Biar Ajak of the Centre for Strategic Analyses and Casie Copeland of International Crisis Group joined Eddie on the panel, which was chaired […]
The Usalama Project
Jason Stearns, the Project Director, explains the idea behind the Usalama Project in July 2012 in Bujumbura, Burundi.