Pandemic Cleavages: Covid-19 and the South Sudanese Peace Process

Author: Jan Pospisil

Roughly 15 months into the Covid-19 pandemic, it now becomes possible to analyse the impact the pandemic shock had on peace processes globally and assess its mid- and long-term consequences. This briefing investigates the case study of South Sudan, where the pandemic correlated with a significant upsurge in violence at the sub-national level.

The briefing follows up on an expert perception survey on the impact of Covid-19 on peace processes, conducted in May 2020. The survey generated 18 responses from South Sudan on 20 questions related to the impact of the pandemic.

This briefing further incorporates findings from a population perception survey by the Institute of Social Policy and Research from November 2020 and a series of expert interviews with stakeholders and observers of the South Sudanese peace process conducted in Juba from March to May 2021.