Why a minority rights approach to conflict? The case of Southern Sudan

This briefing is aimed at decision-makers working on conflict management, peace-building, development and human rights in countries affected by conflict – whether they be officials of the government in question, humanitarian actors working for donor governments, intergovernmental organizations, local NGOs or international NGOs (the imperfect shorthand of ‘humanitarian actors’ will be used to cover all of these categories). The aim is to illustrate how the minority rights approach can be useful to the work of humanitarian actors in any conflict situation – whether it be aid distribution in a refugee camp, a reformed police force, or a new national education curriculum. For this purpose, the briefing examines the specific case of Southern Sudan.