{"id":5578,"date":"2025-09-30T19:34:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T19:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africansecuritynetwork.org\/HSGO4\/?page_id=5578"},"modified":"2025-10-20T19:24:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T19:24:04","slug":"customary-authorities","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/africansecuritynetwork.org\/HSGO4\/index.php\/customary-authorities\/","title":{"rendered":"Customary Authorities"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"5578\" class=\"elementor elementor-5578\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-20c8eff e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"20c8eff\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-636b5c1 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"636b5c1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a1fcfdb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a1fcfdb\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-27a9b64 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"27a9b64\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Customary Authorities<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c0d7ab6 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"c0d7ab6\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6f887cc elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"6f887cc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e2117fd e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e2117fd\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9d50212 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9d50212\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p dir=\"auto\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The evolution of the traditional authorities is South Sudan has a similar pattern and trend as in other African countries. These authorities have gone through a series of changes, particularly during pre-colonial period, colonial period, the post- independence Sudan and the post-independence South Sudan.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-223e1ab e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"223e1ab\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9fe8adc e-n-tabs-mobile elementor-widget elementor-widget-n-tabs\" data-id=\"9fe8adc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;horizontal_scroll&quot;:&quot;disable&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"nested-tabs.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-n-tabs\" data-widget-number=\"167676636\" aria-label=\"Tabs. Open items with Enter or Space, close with Escape and navigate using the Arrow keys.\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"e-n-tabs-heading\" role=\"tablist\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"e-n-tab-title-1676766361\" class=\"e-n-tab-title\" aria-selected=\"true\" data-tab-index=\"1\" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"e-n-tab-content-1676766361\" style=\"--n-tabs-title-order: 1;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"e-n-tab-title-text\">\n\t\t\t\tThe Pre-Colonial Period\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"e-n-tabs-content\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"e-n-tab-content-1676766361\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-tab-title-1676766361\" data-tab-index=\"1\" style=\"--n-tabs-title-order: 1;\" class=\"e-active elementor-element elementor-element-5c445f3 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5c445f3\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a5100a4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"a5100a4\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84d0349 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"84d0349\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most important and relevant civilization to the context of South Sudan is\u00a0Kush Kingdom\u00a0that emerged around 1070 B.C. and established around the confluences of rivers Blue Nile, White Nile and Atbara in what is now known as northern Sudan (Leclant, 2004).\u00a0 Uniquely, the Kush Kingdom established a strong monarchic and centralized system of government with Nubian religion and language.\u00a0The system of government was highly centralized\u00a0and ruled by \u201cgod-kings\u201d. The administration of justice was entrusted to priests. Whether Kush civilization is linked to South Sudan or not, the most important focus is on the role of traditional system of government in maintaining rule of law, peace and stability in the pre-colonial period.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c141225 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"c141225\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0fd8d7b e-n-tabs-mobile elementor-widget elementor-widget-n-tabs\" data-id=\"0fd8d7b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;horizontal_scroll&quot;:&quot;disable&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"nested-tabs.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-n-tabs\" data-widget-number=\"16616827\" aria-label=\"Tabs. Open items with Enter or Space, close with Escape and navigate using the Arrow keys.\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"e-n-tabs-heading\" role=\"tablist\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"e-n-tab-title-166168271\" class=\"e-n-tab-title\" aria-selected=\"true\" data-tab-index=\"1\" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"e-n-tab-content-166168271\" style=\"--n-tabs-title-order: 1;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"e-n-tab-title-text\">\n\t\t\t\tThe Colonial Period\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"e-n-tabs-content\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"e-n-tab-content-166168271\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-tab-title-166168271\" data-tab-index=\"1\" style=\"--n-tabs-title-order: 1;\" class=\"e-active elementor-element elementor-element-394197e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"394197e\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d82e11d e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d82e11d\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-060317c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"060317c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>The Turco-Egyptian and Mahdiyya Regimes (1821-1881)<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new regime imposed a\u00a0militaristic and centralized unitary system of government\u00a0as the most effective way of mobilizing slaves and ivory. This new system of government had a profound impact on the African ethnic groups and their traditional systems of government along south-north border of Sudan and changed the local balance of power in favour of Arab ethnic groups. During this period, the Turco-Egyptian authorities and private traders undertook slave raids on a considerable scale into what is today South Sudan. These slave raids by the Turco- Egyptian regime and Arab nomads had profoundly affected the prevailing system of traditional authorities in South Sudan.<\/span><\/p><p><b>The Anglo-Egyptian Regime (1898-1956)<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The arrival of Anglo-Egyptian regime was resisted by many ethnic groups in South Sudan and that contributed later on to the\u00a0adoption of various ordinances related to customary authorities, which culminated into the \u201cSouthern Sudan Policy\u201d in 1930. As early as 1921 and before the formulation of Southern Sudan Policy, the system of government in southern Sudan had been based on the principles of \u201cnative administration\u201d. In 1922, the Anglo-Egyptian regime\u00a0enacted the Passport and Permits Ordinance\u00a0that declared the entire South Sudan \u2018closed districts\u2019 and made it increasingly reserved to the native community and insulated from the world around it.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the experience with the native administration was relatively successful in maintaining rule of law, peace and stability, the British rule formulated the\u00a0\u201cSouthern Sudan Policy 1930\u201d. Its memorandum stated that: \u201cThe policy of the Government in the southern Sudan is to build up a series of self-contained racial or tribal units with structures and organization based, to whatever extent to the requirements of equity and good governance permit, upon indigenous customs, traditional usage and beliefs\u201d. This policy contributed to restoring and protecting the systems and institutions of traditional authorities.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37334aa e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"37334aa\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-540c18b e-n-tabs-mobile elementor-widget elementor-widget-n-tabs\" data-id=\"540c18b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;horizontal_scroll&quot;:&quot;disable&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"nested-tabs.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-n-tabs\" data-widget-number=\"88129931\" aria-label=\"Tabs. Open items with Enter or Space, close with Escape and navigate using the Arrow keys.\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"e-n-tabs-heading\" role=\"tablist\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"e-n-tab-title-881299311\" class=\"e-n-tab-title\" aria-selected=\"true\" data-tab-index=\"1\" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"e-n-tab-content-881299311\" style=\"--n-tabs-title-order: 1;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"e-n-tab-title-text\">\n\t\t\t\tThe Post-Independence Period (1956-)\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"e-n-tabs-content\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"e-n-tab-content-881299311\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-tab-title-881299311\" data-tab-index=\"1\" style=\"--n-tabs-title-order: 1;\" class=\"e-active elementor-element elementor-element-190894f e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"190894f\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7a05046 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"7a05046\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-016f58c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"016f58c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>The Post-Independence Sudan Period (1956-)<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The\u00a0post-independence regime\u00a0adopted an intermittently military or democratic centralized unitary system with the aim of establishing an Arab-Islamic state. It focused on dismantling the 1930 Southern Sudan Policy that was based on traditional system of government and replacing it with an Arabization and Islamization policy of Southern Sudan. Despite this policy, the post-independence Sudanese central government legislature reaffirmed the Chiefs\u2019 Courts Ordinance and recognized the status of customary law in Southern Sudan.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) did not explicitly recognize the customary authorities but\u00a0put the local government and traditional and customary law\u00a0under the exclusive powers of the state government.\u00a0The 2005 Interim Constitution\u00a0recognized not only the customs and traditions of the people of South Sudan as one of the sources of legislation, but it also affirmed traditional authorities and their role.\u00a0The 2011 Transitional Constitution\u00a0affirms all the provisions related to traditional authorities, customs and traditions of the people of South Sudan.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The customary authorities sometimes refer to traditional authorities and sometimes termed as chiefs are critical for understanding how the communities of South Sudan govern themselves through their customs, traditions, values and norms. The institution of customary authority is almost in all African countries but in different forms with its structures commonly framed around the institution of traditional leadership that involves a hierarchical structure of rulers like kings, chiefs, headmen, and village heads, with power and authority varying across different systems and evolving over time due to colonization and modernization <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dullahomarinstitute.org.za\/siteworkspace\/doi-factsheets-9.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(de Visser and Chiguata, 2022).<\/span><\/a><\/p><p><b>The Post-Independence South Sudan (2005-)<\/b><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Definition and legality<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In South Sudan, the traditional authority is defined as \u201cthe traditional community body with definite traditional administrative jurisdiction within which customary powers are exercised by traditional leaders on behalf of the community\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/faolex.fao.org\/docs\/pdf\/ssd3324.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Republic of South Sudan, 2009: 4).<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In addition, there is a recognition in the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan, 2011 of the traditional authority and the customs as one of the primary sources of the legislation (Republic of South Sudan, 2011). Although the structures of traditional authorities vary from one community to another, they \u2018range from the institutions of chiefs, conflict resolution mechanisms, customary law, practices and beliefs\u2019 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/342260634_STATE_AND_NATION_BUILDING_IN_SOUTH_SUDAN_AFTER_THE_COMPREHENSIVE_PEACE_AGREEMENT\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Mbugua, 2012: 17)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Also, the traditional authority consists of diverse hierarchies of tribal chiefs and their assistants, elders and opinion leaders in communities <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.southsudanngoforum.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2016-09\/0979wassara2007traditionalmechanismsofcrinsouthsudan_0.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Wassera, 2007: 6).<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It is recognized in South Sudan that customary authority is characterized by plurality as it encompasses a wide range of institutions and actors such as family heads, elders and the collective leadership of generational age-sets, cattle camps or councils of elders, individual spiritual and ritual authorities and the hierarchical structures of chiefs and headmen <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/riftvalley.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Making-Order-Out-of-Disorder-by-Cherry-Leonardi-RVI-SSCA-Project-2019.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Leonardi, 2019<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Generally, the Local Government Act, 2009 in its section 112 defines the status of traditional authority to be a semi-autonomous institution at the state and county levels and to administer customary law and justice in the customary courts and to exercise deconcentrated powers in the performance of the executive powers at local government levels within their perspective jurisdiction. The Act also in its section 113 recognizes two types of traditional authority:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kingdoms recognized as self-existing traditional systems with centralized monarchical systems of rule, whose institutions shall perform local government functions while maintaining their status as institutions of kingdoms concerned and are divided into chieftainships, sub-chieftainships and headman-ships.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chiefdoms: Unlike kingdoms, the chiefdoms will be established by provisions of this Act with decentralized system of rule, which shall perform traditional and local government functions where traditional authorities are organized on the basis of lineages and clans which are divided into sub-chieftainships and headman-ships<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Roles, structures, and challenges<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Local Government Act of 2009 provides in its section 119 the establishment of South Sudan Council of Traditional Authorities Leaders and a State Council of Traditional Authorities<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leaders with the following functions and duties:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Provide a forum for dialogue with all levels of government on matters of customs and traditions.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Intervene to resolve inter-tribal disputes by applying customary and traditional conflict resolution mechanisms.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Foster peacebuilding and resolution of conflicts through mediation and other conciliatory mechanisms.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Advise all levels of government on matters of traditions and customs of the people of South Sudan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Generally, the role of customary authority in the provision of security, justice and safety and disputes and conflicts resolution at the level of communities is well documented and institutionalized by law in South Sudan. It is recognized that chiefs do engage in a number of different activities such as settlement of disputes in chiefs\u2019 courts, engaging in peace processes and conflict resolution, collection of taxes, allocating food aid, acting as intermediaries between the government and the community and mobilizing community members for community projects <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.co.uk\/books?id=3jK5BAAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PA42&amp;lpg=PA42&amp;dq=Traditional+Authorities,+Local+Justice+and+Local+Conflict+Resolution+Mechanisms+in+South+Sudan&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=VudP52a2xb&amp;sig=FaWJHYBeVsHK4QdHE7E_lBpk6yA&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiw1oay_qnXAhVkCMAKHRZUBP8Q6AEIOTAD#v=onepage&amp;q=Traditional%20Authorities%2C%20Local%20Justice%20and%20Local%20Conflict%20Resolution%20Mechanisms%20in%20South%20Sudan&amp;f=false\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Santschi, 2014: 46).<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Besides the recognition of customary law as the predominant source of law in South Sudan, almost 90% of everyday criminal and civil cases are dealt with and executed under customary law and by traditional chiefs and leaders <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/files.acquia.undp.org\/public\/migration\/ss\/2bacffccf78acd8d4d2f978c1f3a8b98c5353555207612542f372f3e5c331ad8.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(UNDP, 2010: 21).<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> As customary authority is exercised at the level of communities and local government, the local authority becomes hybrid and the dividing line between state and non-state actors becomes blurred (Leonardi, 2019). This hybridity is shown in the fact that chiefs act as both customary authorities and local government personnel.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the recognition of the positive role played by traditional authorities, they face a number of challenges. On the top of these challenges, the recurrent civil wars in South Sudan have persistently undermined traditional authorities; particularly by the warring parties either by appointing their own chiefs or entrusting the traditional role of chiefs to military officers, particularly during the prolonged second civil war in Sudan (Idris, 2017). In addition, the continuous and large-scale forced displacement of the communities as a result of violent conflicts has weakened the link between chiefs and their communities as well as their influence and legitimacy <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/csrf-southsudan.org\/repository\/traditional-authorities-local-government-southern-sudan\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Hoehne, 2008: 17<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). In their displaced camps and refugees camps, the displaced communities set up their own traditional forms of governance similar to traditional structures of their communities of origin (Wassera, 2007: 6). With the signing of the Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, most of the IDPs and refugees returned back to their villages but with their new chiefs and that caused tension between IDP\/refugee chiefs and those who held these positions prior to the second civil war (Idris, 2017). These parallel traditional leadership structures persist and aggravated further by the first and second civil wars in South Sudan and undermined further the chiefly authority.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another challenge is the lack of definition and clarity about the roles of traditional authorities, particularly the precise position and role of chiefs, as it becomes a source of misunderstanding and conflict. In particular, there is lack of clarity of the exact level of authority granted to different types of chief (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/odi.org\/en\/publications\/considering-the-state-perspectives-on-south-sudans-subdivision-and-federalism-debate\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Schomerus and Aalen, 2016: 14<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). In addition, the Local Government Act gives chiefs the authority on land regulation but limits their power to the resolution of non-criminal conflicts within their jurisdictions. There is a conflict over land administration between chiefs appointed during the war by the SPLM\/A, and those who claim legitimacy on the basis that their forebears were appointed by the colonial authority prior to independence (Schomerus and Aalen, 2016). There is also a conflict between the customary law systems and the Transitional Constitution, 2011 and international human rights laws over the rights of women and children (UNDP, 2010: 22). This conflict contributes to conflict and disruption of social order at the community level (Wassera, 2007: 6).<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition, the role of traditional authorities in the field of conflict resolution has been eroded with the surge of other \u201ccompetitors\u201d in this field such as the local government, NGOs, UN and civil society organisations including faith-based groups (Wassera, 2007). Although most of legal cases in South Sudan are administered by chiefs\u2019 courts, the capacity of chiefs to enforce court decisions and resolve local conflicts is limited without government support. Given their increasing reliance on governments in recognising their intermediary role and making their authority effective, the chiefs have not simply become increasingly semi-civil servants but have continued to be recognised as customary authorities (Leonardi, 2019).<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-39271a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"39271a8\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-92caeac elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"92caeac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Customary Authorities The evolution of the traditional authorities is South Sudan has a similar pattern and trend as in other African countries. These authorities have gone through a series of changes, particularly during pre-colonial period, colonial period, the post- independence Sudan and the post-independence South Sudan. The Pre-Colonial Period The most important and relevant civilization [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5578","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africansecuritynetwork.org\/HSGO4\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africansecuritynetwork.org\/HSGO4\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africansecuritynetwork.org\/HSGO4\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africansecuritynetwork.org\/HSGO4\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africansecuritynetwork.org\/HSGO4\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5578"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/africansecuritynetwork.org\/HSGO4\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5798,"href":"https:\/\/africansecuritynetwork.org\/HSGO4\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5578\/revisions\/5798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africansecuritynetwork.org\/HSGO4\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}