State fragility and Food security : Assessing the Impacts of Armed Conflict on Rural Food Security in Central Equatoria Region of South Sudan

Abstract

The primary thesis of this paper is to look at the impacts of armed conflict on rural food security in the Central Equatoria region of South Sudan. In the past 5 years since the outbreak of the conflict, South Sudan has been on record for severe food insecurity. The Central Equatoria region in the southern part of the country is a green belt and has always recorded good food security records relative to other states of the north. The central argument of this paper is that conflict has serious negative implications on food availability and food access by rural communities. The paper argues that the armed conflict arising out of the antagonism between the two leaders President Salva Kiir and former vice President Riek Machar has lethal implications on rural food security albeit in a green belt region. The displacement of people, closure of food aid and skyrocketing of prices are all outcomes of the current conflict whose consequences are felt heavily by the rural poor. The fragility of the region due to rampant communal conflicts and widespread poverty are key factors that have a bearing on food security in the region. The contention of the study is that armed conflict has serious negative implications on the rural poor compared to the urban counterparts.