The Disappearance of Intra-Communal Violence as a Legacy of SPLM/A Rebel Governance in Northern Bahr el-Ghazal, South Sudan

Abstract

South Sudan has a long history of civil wars and intra-communal violence. Northern Bahr el-Ghazal (NBeG) state, including Aweil East County, similarly to other pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities, stood out in terms of intra-communal violence. However, since the second civil war (1983–2005), larger-scale local-level violence has substantially reduced and conflicts are settled in different dispute resolution forums. This paper explores factors reducing intra-communal violence in Aweil East. It demonstrates that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) has shaped local governance, justice, security, peace and political constellations since the second civil war well into the era of the independent South Sudan.