Beyond Liberal Peacebuilding: A Hybrid Political Order Framework for Analysing Peace and Conflict in South Sudan

This article critiques the inadequacy of orthodox liberal peacebuilding models for the South Sudanese context, where statehood is contested and authority is fragmented. It proposes a novel theoretical framework centred on Hybrid Political Order (HPO), which analytically integrates formal state institutions with informal, customary, and sub-national governance structures. The framework is developed through an examination of South Sudan's historical legacies of militarised governance, the political marketplace, and persistent communal conflict. The article elucidates the framework's theoretical implications for understanding sovereignty and legitimacy, and its practical applications for designing context-sensitive peace processes and security interventions. Ultimately, it argues that sustainable peace in South Sudan necessitates recognising and engaging with its inherent hybridity rather than seeking to transcend it.