Diasporas as Conflict Actors: Remittances, Lobbying, and the Internationalization of Civil War in South Sudan

Diaspora conflict brokerage provides a framework for understanding diasporas as active participants in civil wars, with emphasis on political mobilization, remittance flows, and the internationalization of African conflicts. The argument advanced is that diasporas are not external observers but political actors who move resources, narratives, and lobbying power across borders, shaping the duration, framing, and external reach of conflict. Drawing on multi-sited ethnography in Juba, Nairobi, Washington DC, and Sydney; financial flow analysis using hawala transaction data and NGO reports; content analysis of diaspora social media mobilization during the 2013 crisis; and structured interviews, the study engages debates in transnationalism, diaspora politics, and conflict economics. It develops a typology of diaspora roles across mobilization, resource provision, and political lobbying. Three core claims are advanced. First, diaspora communities sustained household survival while also channeling selective support toward armed constituencies and elite narratives linked to home-region cleavages. Second, lobbying and narrative production in global capitals internationalized the conflict by shaping how policymakers and humanitarian actors interpreted responsibility, urgency, and legitimate interlocutors. Third, diasporas support peace when network leaders redirect influence toward broad civic platforms, but intensify polarization when remittance circuits and political identity remain tightly fused. The study concludes that peacebuilding strategies should treat diaspora associations as governance actors rather than informal extensions of remittance systems. It further emphasizes that financial transparency and structured dialogue can reduce the risk of community support reinforc