All Alone in the Governor’s Mansion: Sarah Cleto’s Travails in Western Bahr el Ghazal State

Submitted by Katie Lazaro on 29 August, 2023

Situation Update: Western Bahr el Ghazal, South Sudan

Sarah Cleto’s tenure as the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLA-IO) governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal is in trouble. Despite her grassroots popularity, members of the opposition are calling for her removal. Attempts to replace Cleto, however, have been stalled by internal power struggles—highlighting the complexities of Western Bahr el Ghazal’s ethnic politics.

An Iron Fist in Lakes State: Law, Order, and Volatility on the Margins

Submitted by Katie Lazaro on 18 July, 2023

Situation Update: Lakes state, South Sudan

Since his appointment as governor of Lakes state in June 2021, Rin Tueny Mabor has transformed the area from one of the most troubled in South Sudan to one of the most secure. His heavy-handed approach, however, has drawn controversy with allegations of human rights violations.

A Pause Not a Peace: Conflict in Jonglei and the GPAA

Submitted by Katie Lazaro on 15 May, 2023

Situation Update: South Sudan

A reshuffle of Jonglei’s state government is underway, precipitated by the out-going leadership’s inability to quell chronic armed violence and raiding in the state.. While the current rainy season will prevent large-scale raiding in the coming months, attacks on humanitarian convoys and low-level raiding continue, with women and children abducted.

Upper Nile Prepares to Return to War

Submitted by Katie Lazaro on 20 March, 2023

Situation Update: South Sudan

Upper Nile is on the precipice of renewed armed conflict. After a lull in violence in the past two months, armed groups are mobilizing for possible confrontation as Johnson Olonyi’s Agwelek forces reposition themselves near key ports on the White Nile, and SPLA-IO and Nuer White Army forces mobilize youth in northern Jonglei and southern Upper Nile.

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