POST- CONFLICT RECONSTRUCTION IN SOUTH SUDAN; A CRITICAL ASSESSMENT, JULY 2011 - JULY 2012

Abstract

This study examines post-conflict reconstruction of South Sudan which gained its independence from the Government of Sudan on 9th July, 2011, as the outcome of a referendum as contained in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement(CPA) signed in 2005, thus ending Africa’s longest civil war. Its main objective is to examine the state of reconstruction in post - conflict South Sudan, to establish the ways reconstruction efforts can be better done to remedy the immediate needs of the people and to document the lessons learnt from the reconstruction efforts in the same. The study is based on grounded theory which is deemed suitable in post- conflict reconstruction. Most of the information for the study was gathered from secondary data on published information on the topic. The study discovered that post conflict reconstruction is externally driven, with minimal local participation in the design or ownership of the process. Thus more studies are needed to explore the potential benefits of indigenous forms of participatory post conflict reconstruction that emphasize post conflict transformation based on a genuinely democratically rooted practice that is sensitive to issues of civic empowerment, national ownership, capacity - building at all levels and an equitable and sustainable peace.