Reconfiguring the South Sudanese Women’s Movement

This article examines multiple aspects that prompted the emergence and development of the women’s movement in South Sudan. It intends to outline challenges and opportunities for the women’s movement over the years. Indeed, there are numerous sociocultural, economic, political, and structural aspects that impinge on women’s collective actions and mobilization. Nevertheless, this article focuses on how the efforts of the women’s movement strived to articulate and promote critical issues related to women and gender in South Sudan that are partly constrained by three interrelated factors: its close association with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), persistent civil wars and political instability, and donor agencies’ influence on its agenda and activities. The paper argues that, without any tangible changes in these dynamics, the women’s movement in South Sudan will not be able to simultaneously and effectively tackle practical and strategic gender concerns and interests and achieve gender equality in South Sudan.