Paper short abstract:

We study the economic and social effects of conflict with data from the Nuba Mountains (Sudan). Returned households have fewer assets than those that stayed during the conflict, but have better health outcomes. We relate this finding to the support from NGOs and habits learned during displacement.

Paper long abstract:

The Nuba Mountains of Sudan is one of the most isolated areas of the country and subjected to long periods of civil war. After the signature of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, millions of displaced persons started returning to their communities of origin, creating a challenge for the post-conflict recovery. In this paper we aim to contribute to the understanding of the economic and social effects of conflict analyzing a unique data gathered in 8 villages of the Nuba Mountains in 2008, during a short-lived interwar period. In particular, we assess the characteristics of the returnees as compared with the non-displaced population, and find important differences between the groups. Returnees are more likely to have an extended family in the village and have clearer property rights over their land and house. Returned households have fewer assets than those that stayed during the conflict, both in terms of size of the land and livestock ownership, and are less involved in the production of cash crops. Even though returnees have worse economic conditions than stayers, we find evidence that the former tend to have better health outcomes, given they are less likely to have a member of the household affected by serious diseases. We relate this finding to the targeted support received from NGOs, as well as better sanitation habits and other attitudes possibly learned during displacement.