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The Journal of Modern African Studies The Journal of Modern African Studies

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It takes a village to raise a militia: local politics, the Nuer White Army, and South Sudan's civil wars

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 May 2017

Noel Stringham  and
Jonathan Forney
Noel Stringham
Affiliation:
Department of History, Wheaton College, 501 College Avenue, Wheaton, IL USA 60187 and Forcier Consulting, Forcier House, Plot 123, Bilpham Road, Muniki, Juba, South Sudan
Jonathan Forney
Affiliation:
Department of History, Wheaton College, 501 College Avenue, Wheaton, IL USA 60187 and Forcier Consulting, Forcier House, Plot 123, Bilpham Road, Muniki, Juba, South Sudan
Corresponding
E-mail address:
noel.stringham@wheaton.edu
jforney@gwu.edu
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Abstract

Why does South Sudan continue to experience endemic, low intensity conflicts punctuated by catastrophic civil wars? Reporters and analysts often mischaracterise conflicts in the young country of South Sudan as products of divisive ‘tribal’ or ‘ethnic’ rivalries and political competition over oil wealth. More nuanced analyses by regional experts have focused almost exclusively on infighting among elite politicians and military officers based in Juba and other major cities who use patronage networks to ethnicise conflicts. This paper argues instead that civilian militias known as the Nuer White Army have consistently rebelled against elites who they blame for mounting inequalities between urban areas and the rural communities regardless of their ethnicity. While unable to stop governments and NGOs from funnelling almost all their resources to the cities, these militias have consistently mobilised local resources for violent campaigns that redistribute wealth by pillaging urban areas.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Modern African Studies , Volume 55 , Issue 2 , June 2017 , pp. 177 - 199
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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