Friday 14 November UN OCHA multimedia presentation of the humanitarian aspects of the South Sudan crisis, A man-made catastrophe: A multimedia journey through South Sudan. Officials have accused the Sudanese government of carrying out bombings in southern Blue Nile of Sudan and neighboring Maban County of South Sudan, the Sudanese army spokesman denied any involvement. Saturday… Read more »
Month: November 2014
Can Iraq be Fixed?
Iraq’s new prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, faces the enormous task of uniting the country. But whatever the outcome, Iraq cannot be restored to how it was before the summer. There is broad agreement that the former Iraqi prime minister, Nour al-Maliki, was a part of the problem, and that his replacement by Haider al-Abadi is… Read more »
This Week in South Sudan – Week 46, Part 1
Monday 10 November First UN World Food Program trucks arrived in South Sudan, marking the opening of a much needed humanitarian corridor through Sudan. Violent clashes between government forces and the SPLA-in-Opposition continue in Upper Nile, Jonglei and Unity state, despite last weekend’s rededication to the Cessation of Hostilities agreement. New report from the International… Read more »
Putin goes to China, but fails to turn his illusions into reality
In a case of striking symbolism, President Vladimir Putin traveled to Beijing on the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, as if seeking reassurance against the specter of a mass public uprising. The dismantling of that icon of the Cold War signified a breakthrough in finally achieving a Europe united by the… Read more »
Humanitarian Innovation, Humanitarian Renewal?
The continued evolution of the humanitarian innovation concept needs a critical engagement with how this agenda interacts with previous and contemporary attempts to improve humanitarian action. Accountability and transparency have been central to discussions of humanitarian action over the past two decades. Yet these issues appear generally to be given scant attention in the discourse… Read more »
This Week in South Sudan – Week 45, Part 2
Friday 7 November According to the UN, South Sudanese security personnel impounded four trucks carrying peacekeeping cargo in the capital Juba, and assaulted the drivers, accusing them of transporting weapons to rebels. South Sudan’s warring parties committed to stop fighting and bring the conflict to an end without conditions, the chief mediator for IGAD said… Read more »
Journal of Eastern African Studies, Special Issue: Politics and violence in eastern Africa: the struggles of emerging states, c.1940-1990
The newly published Special Issue of Journal of Eastern African Studies, Politics and violence in eastern Africa: the struggles of emerging states, c.1940-1990, edited by David M. Anderson and Øystein H. Rolandsen, features four articles relating to South Sudan: 1. Political violence and the emergence of the dispute over Abyei, Sudan, 1950– 1983. By… Read more »
This Week in South Sudan – Week 45, Part 1
Monday 3 November South Sudanese officials accused Khartoum of launching a bombing raid on a village in Western Bahr el Ghazal over the weekend. The SPLA and the rebel forces traded accusations over who started new fighting in the town of Dolieb, in Upper Nile state, on Sunday. Tuesday 4 November VoA South Sudan in… Read more »
Demystifying the White Army: Nuer Armed Civilians’ Involvement in the South Sudanese Crisis
Article posted in ACCORD Conflict Trends Magazine, 2014/13, by PRIO Researcher Ingrid Marie Breidlid, and Michael J. Arensen. The article argues that although the conflict erupted as a result of division within the SPLM, the mass mobilization in opposition areas, e.g. of Nuer civilian fighters, illustrates this is not only a political dispute, but also a… Read more »
This Week in South Sudan – Week 44, Part 2
Friday 31 October UNIMISS extracted 30 civilians from the Rubkona airstrip in Unity State, to a Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in a UN compound. According to a WFP official, famine in South Sudan is temporarily averted, but risks remain if fighting escalates. Canada joined the group of nations sanctioning top South Sudanese generals, accusing SPLA-Juba commander Marial… Read more »