2019–20 South Sudan highlights

Years of civil war in South Sudan have caused tensions among communities. Saferworld works with 12 partners across the country to address the political, social, economic and security dynamics that cause conflict. We support communities and policymakers on issues such as cattle-raiding, competition over resources and pastures, gender-based violence and inequality, women’s exclusion from decision-making, and community responses to small arms and light weapons.

Over the past year, we expanded our work into Bentiu and Malakal. In Malakal town and in the UN’s ‘Protection of Civilians’ site there, we helped challenge stereotypes about people with disabilities by working with people with disabilities in leadership positions within communities and by holding community discussions. In Jonglei, we played an important role in helping people from five different clans to resolve a dispute over a cattle camp. We also published research exploring the effectiveness, inclusiveness and legitimacy of security and justice providers in the south-east of the country.

We organised a high-level national meeting – the first of its kind in Juba – bringing together communities and state-level representatives, as well as different institutions, donors and international agencies including the UN. One notable outcome was that the speaker from Rumbek in Lakes State appointed women in leadership positions in the state assembly, ensuring equal representation of women and men – a direct recommendation of the event.   

This year has been important for our South Sudanese partnerships; our work simply would not be possible without them. We’re proud to be partnering with two more South Sudanese women-led organisations, and we’re also transferring more decision-making power and resources to our partners as they lead on managing projects in Kuajok, Tonj and Aweil, while we step back to provide more technical support.