SCORE South Sudan is a response to the demand to better understand the complexity of restoring social cohesion and building peace in the country. The project seeks to provide high level policy advice to decision-makers in the Government and the donor community on what kind of peacebuilding and reconciliation initiatives will be most effective in supporting the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS)1 , and establish solid foundations for sustaining peace and preventing the resumption of conflict.

SCORE findings are based on the analysis of a household survey which was administered to 2,139 people in 69 Bomas in five regions: Aweil, Bor, Bentiu, Rumbek and Yambio. Data collection took place in two phases. The first regions surveyed were Aweil, Bor and Yambio between 1 November and 10 December 2019. The second phase was administered in the regions of Bentiu and Rumbek between 23 March and 15 April 2020. The second phase was interrupted due to restrictions on interstate travel in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data collection was resumed only in Rumbek on 12 June and surveying was completed on 15 June 2020. 

The bomas surveyed were urban and peri-urban districts within and in close proximity to the 5 state capitals (See Annex I for a detailed explanation of the research methodology). South Sudanese key informants helped shape the SCORE research parameters during a SeeD calibration mission to Juba in September 2019. This exercise defined three key SCORE research questions: 1) what are the principal components of social cohesion in South Sudan? 2) what drives support for the peace agreement? and 3) what are the root causes of civilian militarization? The research process sought to respond to these questions and by using advanced statistical analysis methods provide predictive models for understanding the citizenship choices of respondents within the wider socio-political and economic context which may govern individual or community behaviours. From this perspective SCORE’s most pertinent contribution to understanding the complex emergency in South Sudan is through the lens of those citizenship qualities required to deepen a durable sustaining peace and development agenda.