Cattle Rustling and Its Effects among Three Communities (Dinka, Murle and Nuer) in Jonglei State, South Sudan

Abstract

Inter-tribal clashes have emerged to be one of the biggest contributors to rampant insecurity witnessed in South Sudan and in Jonglei state the clashes revolve around cattle rustling. Efforts to quell the violence from government, the international community, religious movements, and other South Sudan national organizations have not yielded significant fruit yet. This qualitative case study research explores the underlying manifestation of the conflicts among three communities Nuer, Murle and Dinka, who live in Jonglei. The main objective was to explore the changing context of cattle rustling and understand the effects of conflicts related to cattle raiding in Jonglei. The approach of the dissertation is unique in that it examines both historical and current trends in cattle rustling to create a better understanding of the conflict situation. The dissertation focuses on Jonglei state because it has produced the highest number of conflicts related to cattle raiding