Exploring Opportunities and Obstacles to Sustainable Peacebuilding in Kajo-Keji County, South Sudan

Julius Mono Apollo, Abongo Simon and Maxwell Adea
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Julius Mono Apollo: School of Business and Management, University of Juba, Republic of South Sudan.
Abongo Simon: School of Business and Management, University of Juba, Republic of South Sudan.
Maxwell Adea: Ayii University, Juba, South Sudan

Journal of Scientific Reports, 2025, vol. 11, issue 1, 26-37

Abstract: This study examines the complex landscape of sustainable peacebuilding in Kajo-Keji County, South Sudan, a region characterized by a fragile coexistence of positive indicators and persistent violence. Employing a qualitative methodology, including focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and in-depth interviews, the research captures local perspectives on peace and conflict. The findings reveal a precarious and hybrid peace, where the reopening of schools, the return of displaced populations, and the presence of international investors signal a semblance of stability. These indicators of what Galtung (1967) terms "positive peace" are actively supported by a diverse network of local actors, from customary courts to women's associations, operating within a hybrid political order (Boege et al., 2009). However, this fragile progress is critically undermined by severe challenges, including relentless insecurity from "unknown gunmen," inter-communal conflicts with Dinka Bor pastoralists, and deep-seated structural violence manifested in a triple-currency crisis, delayed civil servant salaries, and destroyed infrastructure. The study concludes that sustainable peace in Kajo-Keji is contingent upon a dual strategy: formally supporting the existing, community-level peace infrastructure while simultaneously addressing the national and local political economies that fuel conflict. The research underscores the necessity of ethnographic and participatory approaches (Millar, 2018) to understand and respond to the nuanced realities of peacebuilding in such complex, post-conflict environments.

Keywords: Peacebuilding; Kajo-Keji County; Hybrid Political Orders; Structural Violence; Local Peace Actors; South Sudan; Ethnographic Peace Research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aif:report:v:11:y:2025:i:1:p:26-37

DOI: 10.58970/JSR.1133

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