Talking to the other side: humanitarian negotiations in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, Sudan

This working paper examines humanitarian negotiations with armed non-state actors in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. It also illuminates the dire and dangerous conditions faced by conflict-affected populations within SPLM-N-controlled areas of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, and by populations displaced to refugee camps in South Sudan and Ethiopia. Through interviews with armed groups, aid workers, local and international experts and civilians, the study aims to improve understanding of the opportunities for, and obstacles to, engagement with the SPLM-N and the GoS for humanitarian access. The study highlights lessons learnt from the process of humanitarian engagement so far, and points to options and alternatives for negotiating access in the context of the current humanitarian crisis in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile.

This working paper was originally published by the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI).