ABSTRACT
Land conflict under the Transitional Constitution is a new phenomenon of moving land ownership from community to individuals in power, the creation of a history in South Sudan by a few aspiring elites.
For this theoretical chapter, the theory of a rentier state is applied to examine the primary and secondary data collected in seven years of first-hand experience working and interacting on land issues with government and multiple communities. The methodology adopted is that of problem structuring methods (PSMs), due to the complexity of the contentious land governance issues being addressed.
The phenomenon produced a deteriorating land management system that flipped from good to bad, and then worse. The community intervened through their responsive call for a return to the traditional land governance systems.
