Foreword
With divergent analyses of the current context, oscillating between what people think may happen, what we hope may happen and what we fear may happen; much of the current thinking on the ‘crisis’ in South Sudan remains either detached from or inaccessible to the humanitarian community.
The current humanitarian response in South Sudan is offering a vital lifeline to almost 5 million people across South Sudan but as such is a player that can also bring harm to the people of South Sudan if not appropriately informed by the larger political context. Whether the humanitarian community is or should be informed by political machinations will always be a source of debate but it is clear that an improved understanding of context and how this may play out can only improve operations on the ground, including staff safety and welfare.
This paper, a generous product of time of the participants who wish to share their outcomes and attempts to close the gap between the macro-conflict and the humanitarian operation within it. Divided into two parts, the paper explores the wider conflict at the international, national and state level as well as explores the consequences on the humanitarian situation.
This report ultimately asks more questions than it answers but neatly describes some of the more complex relationship dynamics within South Sudan and probes the reader to think about where this shall lead to for the people of South Sudan, and the humanitarian response within this.
South Sudan Humanitarian Project