Pastoral land rights and peacebuilding in North Kordofan: Policy and legislative challenges

This article focuses on the policy and legislative challenges posed by land claims made by different pastoral and agro-pastoral groups in North Kordofan. It takes as its point of departure the fact that many past and contemporary pastoral conflicts have their roots in struggles over land and that failure to implement the necessary legislative and administrative mechanisms to guard pastoral land rights can keep conflicts simmering, either openly or under the surface, with high social and economic costs. These issues are here considered in the context of the opportunities for both legal and administrative reform provided by the Naivasha Peace Agreement and the progress in its implementation thus far.