Religion and its relationship to conflict; The case of South Sudan : To what extent do South Sudanese still experience religious oppression post-independence?

Abstract The study is a critical evaluation of the relationship between Religion and Conflict, with a case study in South Sudan (based on the findings of Noa Salomon 2013;2014). With the aid of power theory, conflict theory, frustration and aggression theory, the study seeks to determine the extent to which religious oppression still exists in South Sudan with other specific aims such as determining the provisions for religious freedom in South Sudan, finding the role of religion in peacebuilding and assessing the challenges faced in religious tolerance in South Sudan. This is a qualitative study and it made use of the multi methods technique as used by Creswell et al, 2003 with emphasis on content analysis method in analyzing the set research objectives. The argumentative approach, abductive reasoning, analytical approach, and hermeneutic approach are some of the other methods employed in the study alongside content analysis. The results from the study show that religious oppression still exists significantly in South Sudan, but the exact extent is not determined. Findings from the paper further show that religion and religious actors play a very important role in peacebuilding in South Sudan and they have been successful at peace at the grassroots level but the same cannot be said for its role at the national level. It has been recommended that the South Sudanese Government and other stakeholders should implement already existing peace agreements. Also, policymakers should employ policies that would increase the influence of religious actors on the national level. Keywords: religion, conflict, oppression, discrimination, Islamization, South Sudan, peace work