Øystein H. Rolandsen

Research Professor

Additional position(s):
Co-director PRIO Centre for Culture and Violent Conflict

Email: oystein@prio.org
Work phone: +47 22 54 77 65
Twitter: @oysteinhr

Research Interests

Follow me on Twitter: @oysteinhr

Organised violence, African rebels and government counter-insurgency strategies
African militaries and security force assistance (SFA)
Humanitarian policy and practices
History and current affairs of the two Sudans
Critical approaches to peace negotiations and post-war interventions

A historian and area specialist with experience from research, strategy development, information analysis, planning and administration of projects. Substantial professional experience from the non-government sector within the fields of policy advice, humanitarian aid and long-term development co-operation.

Editorial Board member of the Centre for Peace and Development (CPDS) Journal, University of Juba, South Sudan.

Editor in chief for the blog Monitoring South Sudan @PRIOSouthSudan.

Background

Personal profiles on other sites
Google Scholar Citations
Academia & Research Gate
LinkedIn

Language Skills
Proficient: Norwegian, English
Basic skills: German, Italian

Work Experience
2020 - Research Professor
2017 - Co-director PRIO Centre for Culture and Violent Conflict

2010-2020: Senior Researcher, PRIO
2005-2010: Researcher, Centre for the Study of Civil War, PRIO
2003-2005: Advisor, Norwegian People’s Aid
2002: Senior Executive Officer, Norwegian Centre for Human rights

Academic Visitorships
2014: African Studies Centre, Oxford University
2012-2013: Global Security Institute/Dep. of History, Durham University
2007: Programme of African Studies, Northwestern University

Education
2010: Ph.D. History, University of Oslo
2003: Cand. philol. History, University of Oslo
2000: MA African History, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
1999: Cand. mag. History and Political Science, University of Oslo

Research Groups

Full member:

Associated member:

Humanitarianism

PRIO Departments

Current

Societies, Mobility and Change

Historical

PRIO Projects

Ongoing:

Finished:

Events

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 17:30-20:00 – POSTPONED How can comics tell truth to power and give voice to the oppressed
Fri, 11 Sep 2020 11:00-12:30 – The Legal and Ethical Responsibilities of Providing Security Force Assistance
Tue, 14 Jan 2020 08:45-16:00 – What Role for Norwegian Soldiers in Fragile States?
Thu, 28 Nov 2019 14:00-17:30 – European Security Force Assistance and the rise of Great Power Competition
Wed, 27 Nov 2019 12:30-14:00 – The Dilemmas of Western Engagement in the Syrian Civil War: How to avoid responsibility while governing the outcome?
Tue, 28 May 2019 12:30-14:00 – Africa and Security Force Assistance
Thu, 06 Dec 2018 13:00-15:00 – Small States and Security Force Assistance: Practitioners’ Perspectives
Wed, 05 Dec 2018 09:30-11:30 – Military Capacity Building as a “One Size Fits All” Solution to Norway and NATO’s Security Challenges in Fragile States
Fri, 09 Nov 2018 09:00-10:30 – Violent Extremism and Security Challenges in West Africa: What Role Can Preventive Diplomacy Play?
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 12:00-14:00 – Cieng, Kafka, and Malcolm X: how southern Sudanese displaced people in Khartoum worked out what liberation might mean
Mon, 27 August 2018 – Culture and Violent Conflict
Fri, 25 May 2018 11:30-13:30 – What is the Norwegian Warrior Culture?
Sun, 11 Mar 2018 19:00-20:00 – Documentary as a Tool for Peacebuilding?
Thu, 08 Mar 2018 19:00-20:00 – Narrativer om konflikt
Thu, 02 November 2017 – How Can South Sudan Emerge from Crisis?
Thu, 15 Jun 2017 10:30-12:00 – Can the African Union help South Sudan?
Thu, 23 Mar 2017 08:30-10:00 – Cancelled: Sudan at the Crossroads
Wed, 30 Nov 2016 11:15-13:00 – From Slavery to Independence
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 12:30-15:00 – The History of Development and Humanitarian Studies in Norway
Mon, 29 Aug 2016 10:00-12:00 – Do Military Interventions in Africa Bring Peace and Stability?
Thu, 03 September 2015 – The Diversity of Violence in Eastern Africa
Mon, 15 Jun 2015 13:00-14:30 – South Sudan: The Economic Cost of Civil War and its Implications for IGAD-led Peace Negotiation
Mon, 18 May 2015 10:00-12:00 – The Fight Against Jihadism in the Horn of Africa
Thu, 08 Jan 2015 14:00-15:30 – Will 2015 be the Year of Peace in Sudan?
Wed, 10 Dec 2014 13:30-15:00 – "The New Kings of Crude": China and Conflict Resolution in the Sudans
Thu, 08 May 2014 14:00-19:30 – Revisiting the Politics of State Survival
Tue, 04 Feb 2014 12:00-16:00 – The Road Towards Colombian Peace: Field-Based Perspectives
Tue, 04 Feb 2014 08:30-10:00 – Colombia: Ending the War - Ending the War on Drugs?
Mon, 02 Sep 2013 14:00-16:00 – The Political Economy of Statebuilding: Power after Peace
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:30-15:30 – Clan Cleansing in Somalia: The Ruinous Legacy of 1991
09 - 11 May 2013 – Struggles over Emerging States in Africa
Fri, 03 May 2013 10:00-12:00 – Conflict in Africa: The Leadership and Governance Accelerators
Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:15-14:00 – The Ambiguous Role of Religion
Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:00-15:00 – Building the New State of South Sudan: The Challenge of the Resource Curse and the pro-Poor Agricultural Growth
Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:00-12:00 – What’s Wrong With the Arms Trade and What To Do About It
Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:00-10:30 – Warfare in Independent Africa
Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:00-19:30 – Horn of Africa: A Bad Neighborhood?
Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:00-14:30 – Drifting Apart?
Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:00-12:00 – The Research-Practice Nexus in Humanitarianism
Sat, 26 Nov 2011 09:00-16:30 – Cyprus Offshore Hydrocarbons: Wealth Distribution and Regional Politics
Mon, 28 Feb 2011 12:00-15:00 – South Sudan: The Birth of a New Country
Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:30-09:45 – On the Occasion of the Sudan Referendum
Thu, 14 Oct 2010 08:30-16:30 – Making cooperation attractive: Post-referendum relations between Egypt and Sudan
Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:30-15:30 – Sudanese Perspectives on the 2011 Referendum
11 - 12 Dec 2008 – State Failure and Regional Insecurity
29 - 30 Sep 2008 – The Dynamics of Institutional Change and Conflict

PRIO started tracking events online in 2007. This listing is not complete. Past events may be mentioned in our news archive.

Publications

Recent Publications

Rolandsen, Øystein H. & Niagalé Bagayoko (2023) A Hidden Conundrum: Security Assistance and Informality in the Sahel, PRIO Policy Brief, 1. Oslo: PRIO.

All Publications

Peer-reviewed Journal Article

Miklian, Jason; John Elias Katsos; Brian Ganson; Benedicte Bull; Kristian Hoelscher; Sarah Cechvala; Øystein H. Rolandsen; Angelika Rettberg & Benjamin Miller (2021) What Covid-19 Taught Us About Doing Business During a Crisis, Harvard Business Review.

Rolandsen, Øystein H.; Maggie Dwyer & William Reno (2021) Security Force Assistance to Fragile States: A Framework of Analysis, Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding. DOI: 10.1080/17502977.2021.1988224: 563–579.

Marsh, Nicholas & Øystein H. Rolandsen (2021) Fragmented We Fall: Security Sector Cohesion and the Impact of Foreign Security Force Assistance in Mali, Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding. DOI: 10.1080/17502977.2021.1988226: 614–629.

Kindersley, Nicki & Øystein H. Rolandsen (2019) Who are the civilians in the wars of South Sudan?, Security Dialogue 50(5): 383–397.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2019) Trade, peace-building and hybrid governance in the Sudan-South Sudan borderlands, Conflict, Security & Development 19(1): 79–97.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. & Nicki Kindersley (2019) The Nasty War: Organised Violence During the Anya-Nya Insurgency in South Sudan, 1963–72, The Journal of African History 60(1): 87–107.

Rolandsen, Øystein H.; Tove Heggli Sagmo & Fanny Nicolaisen (2015) South Sudan – Uganda Relations: The Cost of Peace, Conflict Trends 2015(4): 33–40.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2015) Small and Far Between: Peacekeeping Economies in South Sudan, Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding 9(3): 353–371.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. & David M. Anderson (2015) Violence in the Contemporary Political History of Eastern Africa, International Journal of African Historical Studies 48(1): 1–12.

Rolandsen, Øystein H.; Helene Molteberg Glomnes; Sebabatso Manoeli & Fanny Nicolaisen (2015) A year of South Sudan’s third civil war, International Area Studies Review 18(1): 87–104.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2015) Another civil war in South Sudan: the failure of Guerrilla Government?, Journal of Eastern African Studies 9(1): 163–174.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. & Cherry Leonardi (2014) Discourses of violence in the transition from colonialism to independence in southern Sudan, 1955–1960, Journal of Eastern African Studies 8(4): 609–625.

Anderson, David M. & Øystein H. Rolandsen (2014) Violence as Politics in Eastern Africa, 1940–1990: Legacy, Agency, Contingency, Journal of Eastern African Studies 8(4): 539–557.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. & Ingrid Marie Breidlid (2012) A Critical Analysis of Cultural Explanations for the Violence in Jonglei State, South Sudan, Conflict Trends(1): 49–56.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2011) A Quick Fix? A Retrospective Analysis of the Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement, Review of African Political Economy 38(130): 551–564.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2011) The Making of the Anya-Nya Insurgency in the Southern Sudan, 1961–64, Journal of Eastern African Studies 5(2): 211–232.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2011) A False Start: Between War and Peace in the Southern Sudan, 1956–62, Journal of African History 52(1): 105–23.

Monograph

Rolandsen, Øystein H. & M. W. Daly (2016) A History of South Sudan: From Slavery to Independence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2005) Guerrilla Government: Political Changes in the Southern Sudan during the 1990s. Uppsala: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet.

Book Chapter

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2016) Sudan: Fredens Pris [Sudan: The Price of Peace], in Mona Fixdal, ed., Fredsmegling i teori og praksis. Oslo: Cappelen Damm (209–239).

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2013) Too Much Water under the Bridge: Internationalization of the Sudan–South Sudan Border and Local Demands for Its Regulation, in Vaughan, Christopher; Mereike Schomerus; & Lotje de Vries, eds, The Borderlands of South Sudan Authority and Identity In Contemporary and Historical Perspectives. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan (23–44).

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2013) Sudan: The role of foreign involvement in the shaping and implementation of the Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement, in Eriksson, Mikael; & Roland Kostić, eds, Mediation and Liberal Peacebuilding: Peace from the Ashes of War?. London: Routledge (76–91).

Rolandsen, Øystein H.(2012) From Colonial Backwater to an Independent State: Reflections on the History of South Sudan, in Ashworth, John, ed., One Church from Every Tribe, Tongue and People. : Paulines Publications Africa(16–27).

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2007) Sudan: The Janjawiid and Government Militias, in Bøås, Morten; & Kevin C. Dunn, eds, African Guerrillas: Raging Against the Machine. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers (151–171).

Manger, Leif O.; Endre Stiansen; Øystein H. Rolandsen & Samia Ali (2005) The Sudan- Perspectives on the Peace Agreement, Gender and Society, in Nordic Africa Institute Research Forum. .

Stiansen, Endre; Samia Ali; Leif O. Manger & Øystein H. Rolandsen (2005) The Sudan- Perspectives on the Peace Agreement, Gender and Society, in Nordic Africa Institute Research Forum. .

Edited Volume

Anderson, David M.; & Øystein H. Rolandsen, eds, (2015) Politics and Violence in Eastern Africa: The Struggles of Emerging States. London & New York: Routledge.

Non-refereed Journal Article

Kindersley, Nicki & Øystein H. Rolandsen (2016) Prospects for Peace and the UN Regional Protection Force in South Sudan, African Affairs (Virtual Issue: Making Sense of South Sudan). DOI: 10.1093/afraf/adw067: 1–12.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2011) Sudán 2011: la independencia del sur a un paso [The Sudan 2011: One Step from Independence], Política Exterior 25(139): 146–57.

PRIO Report

Miklian, Jason; Peer Schouten; Cindy Horst; & Øystein H. Rolandsen (2018) Business and Peacebuilding: Seven Ways to Maximize Positive Impact, PRIO Project Summary. Oslo: PRIO.

Conference Paper

Marsh, Nicholas & Øystein H. Rolandsen (2019) The impact of foreign security force assistance on security and governance in Mali, presented at 8th European Conference on African Studies, Edinburgh, 11–14 June.

Marsh, Nicholas & Øystein H. Rolandsen (2018) The impact of foreign security force assistance on security and governance in Mali, presented at Workshop on Security Force Assistance in Fragile States, Peace Research Institute Oslo, 5–7 December.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. & Nicki Kindersley (2016) They are not forbidden from using violence: State Responses to the Anyanya Insurgency in Torit, 1955–1972, presented at 35th Sudan Studies Association Conference , Long Island University, Brooklyn, New York, 28 May 2016.

Breidlid, Ingrid Marie & Øystein H. Rolandsen (2013) The structuring effect of violence on the organization and mobilization of rural youth in Jonglei, presented at ECAS 2013, Lisbon, Portugal, 27–29 June.

Breidlid, Ingrid Marie & Øystein H. Rolandsen (2013) The Political Economy of post-war ”youth violence” in Jonglei, presented at The Political Economy of Peace and Conflict in South Sudan, DIIS, Copenhagen, 19–20 September.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. 2008 Making Civil War in the Southern Sudan, 1961-3, presented at African Studies Association 51st Annual Meeting, , 13–16 November.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. 2008 Guns for Hire Aid Consultancies and Academic Integrity, presented at FIWON, , 6 November.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. 2008 Becoming a Rebel in the Southern Sudan, 1961-63, presented at Meeting of Working Group 8: The Dynamics of Institutional Change and Conflict, , 29 September.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. 2008 Democratication in the Sudan and Prospects for National Elections in 2009, presented at Støttegruppe for Fred i Sudan conference, , 13 June.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. 2008 Democratisation in the Sudan and SPLM’s Second National Convention, presented at University of Durham and Foreign and Commonwealth Office workshop, , 3 July.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2006) In Search of the Peace Dividend: the Southern Sudan One Year after the Signatures, presented at the 7th International Sudan Studies Conference, Bergen, 7 April.

PRIO Policy Brief

Rolandsen, Øystein H. & Niagalé Bagayoko (2023) A Hidden Conundrum: Security Assistance and Informality in the Sahel, PRIO Policy Brief, 1. Oslo: PRIO.

Nilsen, Marte; Ilaria Carrozza; Øystein H. Rolandsen & Amara Thiha (2021) China in Myanmar: Complex Engagements, Complicated Relations, PRIO Policy Brief, 6. Oslo: PRIO.

Rolandsen, Øystein H.; Ilaria Carrozza & Nicholas Marsh (2019) Small States’ Security Force Assistance in the Sahel: Lessons Learned and Future Challenges, PRIO Policy Brief, 13. Oslo: PRIO.

PRIO Paper

Amador III, Julio; Deryk Matthew N. Baladjay; Ilaria Carrozza; Marte Nilsen & Øystein H. Rolandsen (2021) An Appraisal of Philippines-China Security Relations under the Duterte Administration (2016–2020), PRIO Paper. Oslo: PRIO.

Marsh, Nicholas; Øystein H. Rolandsen; Julian Karssen & Marie Sandnes (2020) Compounding Fragmentation: Security Force Assistance to Fragile States in the Sahel and Horn of Africa, PRIO Paper. Oslo: PRIO.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. & Marie Sandnes (2019) South-South Cooperation at the Advent of Great Power Competition: The Capacity of IGAD and ECOWAS to Deal with Threat Proliferation in Africa, PRIO Paper. Oslo: PRIO.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. & Ingrid Marie Breidlid (2013) What is Youth Violence in Jonglei?, PRIO Paper. Oslo: PRIO.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. & Alfred Lokuji (2011) Drifting Apart? The Impact of Secession and Armed Violence on Border Areas in South Sudan, PRIO Paper. Oslo: PRIO.

Høigilt, Jacob; Åshild Falch & Øystein H. Rolandsen (2010) The Sudan Referendum and Neighbouring Countries: Egypt and Uganda, PRIO Paper. Oslo: PRIO.

Høigilt, Jacob & Øystein H. Rolandsen (2010) Making Cooperation Attractive: Post-referendum Relations between Egypt and the Sudan, PRIO Paper. Oslo: PRIO.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2009) Land, Security and Peace Building in the Southern Sudan, PRIO Paper. Oslo: PRIO.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2007) From Guerrilla Movement to Political Party: The Restructuring of Sudan's People Liberation Movement, PRIO Paper. Oslo: PRIO.

Report - External Series

Jumbert, Maria Gabrielsen; & Øystein H. Rolandsen (2013) After the Split: post-secession negotiations between South Sudan and Sudan, NOREF Report. Oslo: Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre.

Rolandsen, Øystein H.; Ingrid Marie Breidlid; & Maria Gabrielsen Jumbert (2012) Negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan: a two-track process could facilitate agreements on outstanding issues., Noref Article. Oslo: Noref.

Rolandsen, Øystein H.; & Jacob Høigilt (2010) Egypt and the Darfur Conflict, NOREF Policy Brief, 9. Oslo: NOREF.

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2010) Why is Violence Escalating in Southern Sudan?, Noref Policy Brief, 2. Oslo.

Book Review

Rolandsen, Øystein H. (2013) Review of Beyond Khartoum: A history of subnational government in Sudan, in African Affairs 112(447): 327–328.

Blog Posts

Compounding Fragmentation: New PRIO Policy Paper on Security Force Assistance to the Sahel and Horn of Africa

Posted by Nic Marsh, Øystein Rolandsen, Julian Karssen & Marie Sandnes on Thursday, 18 June 2020

Since 2010 there has been an increase in both the intensity of conflict in the Sahel and Horn of Africa, and of the level of Western military intervention in the regions. Islamist insurgency has received most external attention, but the region has also been affected by inter-communal violence, organised crime, ... Read more »

How Far Should We Go to Stop Migration to Europe?

Posted by Øystein Rolandsen, Marie Sandnes & Nic Marsh on Monday, 4 December 2017

The police, the military and militia groups in Libya are keeping refugees away from Europe. Reports link this situation to funding from the EU and Italy. The money passes through intermediaries, but Europe must bear responsibility nevertheless for making the funds available. To restrict the numbers of refugees arriving from ... Read more »

No Prospects of Cooling Down: why the Crisis in South Sudan must be Solved Immediately

Posted by Øystein Rolandsen & Maral Mirshahi on Sunday, 22 December 2013

The South Sudan crisis becomes more difficult to solve by the hour. The window of opportunity to avoid a full scale civil war is rapidly closing. But, finding a viable solution is dependent on a precise diagnosis of core issues involved. Read more at the blog of the Norwegian Centre ... Read more »