Better ways to build peace and resilience in South Sudan

The report assesses the cyclical nature of violence in South Sudan and the failure of successive peace agreements to establish lasting stability. It argues that durable peace requires a multi-level approach that links local and national processes, prioritises long-term investment over 'quick-fix' events, and integrates livelihood support with social cohesion. The authors highlight the devastating humanitarian cost, noting that 8.3 million people needed assistance as of October 2021, and emphasize that resilience-building must address root causes of inequality and justice rather than treating resilience as an end goal. A key identified opportunity for innovation is addressing the gendered dimensions of conflict-driven hunger, which the report argues has been overlooked in national peace frameworks.

• South Sudan has faced decades of cyclical violence, and recent delays in implementing the latest peace agreement have led to an increase in inter-communal and sub-national violence linked to national political actors.
• The humanitarian crisis is severe, with an estimated 8.3 million people requiring assistance as of October 2021, including 1.7 million internally displaced persons and 1.4 million malnourished children.
• Climate change is a significant driver of humanitarian need, with 780,000 people affected by flooding in 2021 alone, particularly in Unity, Jonglei, and Upper Nile States.
• Effective grassroots peacebuilding in South Sudan depends on the active involvement of traditional leaders and influential community and local government figures.
• Peacebuilding efforts often fail when they focus on short-term 'quick impact' activities or standalone conferences rather than long-term, iterative processes.
• There is a critical need for vertical and horizontal linkages between peace initiatives; without these, 'pockets of stability' are difficult to sustain, especially where national actors are parties to local conflicts.
• Resilience-building should not be viewed as an end goal in itself but must be grounded in equality, justice, and the addressing of root causes of social exclusion.
• Conflict acts as a distinct shock and stressor that undermines resilience, yet few resilience measurement frameworks explicitly integrate conflict measures.
• A significant gap exists between the recognized priorities of women—such as food security and sustainable livelihoods—and the actual provisions in national peace frameworks like the R-ARCSS.
• The gendered dimensions of conflict-driven hunger and food rights represent a promising but overlooked area for innovation in both humanitarian practice and peacebuilding.

APA

Dowd, C., & Kumalo, L. (2022). Better ways to build peace and resilience in South Sudan. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/EAR-45.pdf

Chicago

Dowd, Caitriona, and Liezelle Kumalo. Better ways to build peace and resilience in South Sudan. Institute for Security Studies, 2022. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/EAR-45.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dowd |first1=Caitriona |last2=Kumalo |first2=Liezelle |title=Better ways to build peace and resilience in South Sudan |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=February 2022 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/EAR-45.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dowd2022better, author = {Dowd, Caitriona and Kumalo, Liezelle}, title = {{Better ways to build peace and resilience in South Sudan}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/EAR-45.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }