Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 06/2010

Symptoms and causes: Insecurity and underdevelopment in Eastern Equatoria

April 2010

Small Arms Survey

Abstract

Eastern Equatoria state (EES) is one of the most volatile and conflict-prone states in Southern Sudan. An epicentre of the civil war (1983–2005), EES saw intense fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), as well numerous armed groups supported by both sides, leaving behind a legacy of landmines and unexploded ordnance, high numbers of weapons in civilian hands, and shattered social and community relations.