The Impacts of Inter-Ethnic Conflict on the Community Development Process in Greater Jonglei State, South Sudan

International Journal of Humanities and Social Science |
© 2025 by SSRG - IJHSS Journal |
Volume 12 Issue 4 |
Year of Publication : 2025 |
Authors : Oyay Joseph Nyajak Ajac, Valerian Orasio Loyalala, Pio Kur Deng |
How to Cite?
Oyay Joseph Nyajak Ajac, Valerian Orasio Loyalala, Pio Kur Deng, "The Impacts of Inter-Ethnic Conflict on the Community Development Process in Greater Jonglei State, South Sudan," SSRG International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 1-7, 2025. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23942703/IJHSS-V12I4P101
Abstract:
This study examines the impacts of inter-ethnic conflict on the community development process in Greater Jonglei State, South Sudan. The target population included 443 individuals from diverse backgrounds within the state. A sample size of 210 respondents was determined using Taro Yamane’s (1969) formula. Data were gathered from both primary and secondary sources. A mixed-methods approach was employed for data analysis, utilizing qualitative and quantitative techniques. Descriptive statistics were generated using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel. Findings revealed that 93.8% of respondents agreed that inter-ethnic conflict has led to civilian deaths, mass displacement, destruction of properties, interruption of human activities, looting, and the collapse of government institutions. In addition to the results of inter-ethnic conflict, 97.2% of respondents (n=205) identified the most severe consequences of inter-ethnic conflict as the destruction of property. The Cost of inter-ethnic conflict majority of respondents (95.7%, n=202) agreed and identified the costs of inter-ethnic conflict as including damage to social services, increased food insecurity, malnutrition, and a heightened burden of disease and also, 94.8% of respondents (n=200) believed that the continuation of inter-ethnic conflict would intensify human suffering. These conditions have led to the collapse of most human activities and the development process in the state. The study recommends that both state and non-state actors in South Sudan develop and implement stronger policies aimed at the disarmament of civilians and youth, while continuing to promote peacebuilding, dialogue, and reconciliation among the communities of Jonglei State.
Keywords:
Inter-ethnic, Conflict, Community, Development, Jonglei State.
References:
[1] Human Security Baseline Assessment (HSBA) for Sudan and South Sudan, Small Arms Survey. [Online]. Available: https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/project/human-security-baseline-assessment-hsba-sudan-and-south-sudan
[2] José G. Montalvo, and Marta Reynal-Querol, “Ethnic Polarization, Potential Conflict, and Civil Wars,” American Economic Review, vol. 95, no. 3, pp. 796-816, 2005.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[3] Paul Collier, and Anke Hoeffler, “Data Issues in the Study of Conflict,” Identifying Wars: Systematic Conflict Research and Its Utility in Conflict Resolution and Prevention, Uppsala, Swe den, vol. 8, no. 9, pp. 62-80, 2001.
[Google Scholar]
[4] Ibrahim Elbadawi, and Nicholas Sambanis, “How Much War Will We See? Explaining the Prevalence of Civil War,” Journal of Conflict Resolution, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 307-334, 2002.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[5] Etienne G. Krug et al., “The World Report on Violence and Health,” The Lancet, vol. 360, no. 9339, pp. 1083-1088, 2002.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[6] Mohamed Abdikadir Daud Ibrahim, “The Impact of the 2011 – 2018 Dinka and Murle Inter-Ethnic Conflict on Child Rights Protection: Case Study Boma and Jonglei States in South Sudan,” International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 1104-1115, 2018.
[Publisher Link]
[7] United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, South Sudan Situation Update, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.unrefugees.org/news/south-sudan-refugee-crisis explained/#:~:text=Nearly%202.32%20million%20South%20Sudanese,refugee%20crisis%20in%20the%20world
[8] John Prendergast, Jennifer Christian, and Amanda Hsiao, “Dealing with Inter-Communal Violence in South Sudan,” E-Internation Relation, pp. 1-3, 2012.
[Publisher Link]
[9] Judith McCallum, and Alfred Okech, “Drivers of Conflict in Jonglei State,” Humanitarian Exchange Magazine, 2013. [Online]. Available: https://odihpn.org/en/publication/drivers-of-conflict-in-jonglei-state/
[10] Hannah Wild, Jok Madut Jok, and Ronak Patel, “The Militarization of Cattle Raiding in South Sudan: How a Traditional Practice Became a Tool for Political Violence,” Journal of International Humanitarian Action, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 1-11, 2018.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[11] Yuki Yoshida, Inter-Ethnic Conflict in Jonglei State, South Sudan, African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes, 2012. [Online]. Available: https://www.accord.org.za/ajcr-issues/interethnic-conflict-in-jonglei-state-south-sudan/
[12] Piok M. Kachuol, “Managing Ethnic Conflicts in South Sudan: A Case Study of Jonglei State (2011–2013),” MA Thesis, University of Nairobi, 2014.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[13] Mareike Schomerus, and Tim Allen, Southern Sudan at Odds with Itself: Dynamics of Conflict and Predicaments of Peace, London: Development Studies Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science, 2010.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[14] Republic of South Sudan - Poverty and Equity Assessment (English), World Bank Group, [Online]. Available: https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099120924150066342
[15] Taro Yamane, Statistics: An Introductory Analysis, 2nd Ed., Harper and Row, 1969.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[16] Anne Itto, Guests at the Table? The Role of Women in Peace Processes. In Accord: An International Review of Peace Initiatives, Conciliation Resources, vol. 18, pp. 56-59, 2006.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[17] Jok Madut Jok, Diversity, Unity, and Nation Building in South Sudan, United States Institute of Peace, 2011.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[18] World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security, and Development, World Bank, 2011. [Online]. Available: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/25f2300c-f9d4-54de-8a56-30566e72003a
[19] Joseph Gibril Isaac Lomeri, “Ethnic Conflicts and Governance in Jonglei State, South Sudan,” Doctoral Dissertation, Kampala International University, 2016.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[20] Diana Felix da Costa, Naomi Pendle, and Jerome Tubiana, “The Growing Politicisation and Militarisation of Cattle-Raiding Among the Western Nuer and Murle During South Sudan’s Civil Wars,” Routledge Handbook of the Horn of Africa, 2022.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[21] UNHCR, South Sudan Emergency Update, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2014. [Online]. Available: https://www.unhcr.org/afr/publications/emergency-updates
[22] UNDP, Famine and Crisis in South Sudan: A Call for Urgent Action, United Nations Development Programme, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.undp.org/south-sudan/publications
[23] United Nations Mission in South Sudan, Incidents of Inter-Communal Violence in Jonglei State, New York, United Nations, 2012. [Online]. Available: https://unmiss.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/june_2012_jonglei_report.pdf
[24] Deo Gumba, Nelson Alusala, and Andrew Kimani, Vanishing Herds, Cattle rustling in East Africa and the Horn, 2019.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]