Why Drought Turns Rainmakers Into Scapegoats

Introduction

In parts of Eastern Equatoria, rainmakers have traditionally occupied an honoured position as ritual specialists believed to help secure rainfall, fertility and the wellbeing of the community. During prolonged droughts, however, that same position can become dangerously precarious. When rains fail, some communities conclude that a rainmaker has lost, withheld or deliberately misused spiritual power, turning a respected figure into a scapegoat for hunger and crop failure. Rather than representing a single episode of mass hysteria, these killings form a recurring pattern in which environmental stress, customary authority, youth mobilisation and weak law enforcement combine to produce deadly violence. Recent cases have drawn increasing attention because climate change and worsening drought appear to be intensifying the pressures that fuel these accusations.[Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility]csrf-southsudan.orgConflict Sensitivity Resource FacilityApril 13, 2023…Published: April 13, 2023

The social role of rainmakers

Among several communities in Eastern Equatoria, including parts of the Lopit, Lotuko and neighbouring groups, rainmakers are not simply religious figures. They have historically occupied positions that combine ritual, social and political authority. Communities may believe they can influence rainfall through inherited ritual knowledge, sacred objects or ceremonies, while also acting as custodians of land and communal wellbeing.[csrf-southsudan.org]csrf-southsudan.orgConflict Sensitivity Resource FacilityApril 13, 2023…Published: April 13, 2023

This status creates a dangerous expectation. Success is often invisible—a normal rainy season confirms the rainmaker’s legitimacy—but drought creates an obvious crisis demanding an explanation. When harvests fail and food insecurity grows, many villagers seek a human cause rather than accepting uncertain weather patterns. Instead of being viewed as victims of climatic conditions beyond their control, rainmakers may be accused of:

These accusations emerge most readily where prolonged drought threatens livelihoods and where customary beliefs remain an important framework for understanding environmental events.

Why drought can become a trigger for violence

The killings are best understood as the product of several pressures operating together rather than as isolated acts driven only by traditional belief.

Extended drought reduces harvests, increases hunger and heightens anxiety about survival. At the same time, weak state institutions often leave customary structures to resolve community disputes. In many areas of Eastern Equatoria, organised youth groups known as Monyomiji have significant influence over local security and customary enforcement. When frustration grows, these groups have sometimes taken direct action against those accused of causing drought.[Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility]csrf-southsudan.orgConflict Sensitivity Resource FacilityApril 13, 2023…Published: April 13, 2023

Researchers and practitioners working in South Sudan argue that worsening livelihood conditions linked to drought, flooding and food insecurity have increased the frequency of accusations involving alleged misuse of supernatural powers. Rather than replacing traditional explanations, climate stress appears to make them more socially compelling during periods of hardship.[Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility]csrf-southsudan.orgConflict Sensitivity Resource FacilityApril 13, 2023…Published: April 13, 2023

Documented killings in Eastern Equatoria

Although many incidents remain poorly documented, several cases have been independently reported by local media, researchers and conflict analysts.

In 2015, youths in Hiyala Payam, Torit County, killed a man they believed had caused drought. Local officials stated that investigators were unable to arrest suspects because villagers collectively refused to surrender those responsible, illustrating the difficulty of enforcing criminal law where customary consensus supported the killing.[Radio Tamazuj]radiotamazuj.orgRadio Tamazuj Rainmaker killed in Torit County 'for causing droughtRadio TamazujRainmaker killed in Torit County 'for causing drought' - Radio TamazujAugust 13, 2015…Published: August 13, 2015

In July 2021, a 43-year-old rainmaker in Lafon County was buried alive after being blamed for failing to bring rain during severe drought. The killing became one of the best-known modern examples of violence against ritual specialists in South Sudan.[Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility]csrf-southsudan.orgConflict Sensitivity Resource FacilityApril 13, 2023…Published: April 13, 2023

During May 2022, residents in Magwi County reportedly gave descendants of former rainmakers an ultimatum to produce rain within four days or face consequences, demonstrating how accusations can escalate before violence actually occurs.[Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility]csrf-southsudan.orgConflict Sensitivity Resource FacilityApril 13, 2023…Published: April 13, 2023

In September 2022, another rainmaker in Ikotos County was lynched by youths attending a funeral after being blamed for the continuing drought. Reports indicated that his body was subsequently burned. Police announced investigations, but successful prosecutions were not reported.[Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility]csrf-southsudan.orgConflict Sensitivity Resource FacilityApril 13, 2023…Published: April 13, 2023

Additional reports describe the killing of an elderly man in Torit County in 2023 after accusations that he had bewitched the rain, and the burial alive of another rainmaker in Imehejek in October 2024, again following prolonged dry conditions. Local officials described the latter as the fifth comparable killing within four years in the area.[Frontiers Publishing Partnerships]frontierspartnerships.orgFrontiers Publishing PartnershipsFrontiers Publishing Partnerships | Rainmaking and climate change: global discourse and local perspectiv…

Together these incidents indicate a recurring family of cases rather than isolated tragedies.

Customary settlements and the price of impunity

One of the most significant features of these killings is not simply that they occur but that prosecutions are uncommon.

Investigations are frequently hampered because:

Conflict researchers note that this limited accountability creates a cycle of impunity. If previous killings produce no legal consequences, communities may regard similar actions as acceptable responses during future droughts. The gap between customary authority and formal criminal law therefore becomes an important governance issue rather than merely a cultural one.[Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility]csrf-southsudan.orgConflict Sensitivity Resource FacilityApril 13, 2023…Published: April 13, 2023

What these cases reveal about governance

The rainmaker killings illustrate how environmental shocks can expose weaknesses in state protection.

Where government institutions cannot provide reliable security, agricultural support or trusted explanations for environmental crises, communities may rely more heavily on customary systems of authority. Those systems can provide social cohesion, but they may also become vulnerable to scapegoating when expectations are impossible to fulfil. No ritual specialist can guarantee rainfall during increasingly variable climatic conditions, yet traditional responsibility may still be judged by agricultural outcomes.[csrf-southsudan.org]csrf-southsudan.orgConflict Sensitivity Resource FacilityApril 13, 2023…Published: April 13, 2023

For this reason, analysts increasingly describe the killings not simply as expressions of traditional belief but as the intersection of climate stress, food insecurity, customary governance and inadequate legal protection. The victims are targeted because longstanding ritual expectations collide with modern environmental pressures that neither communities nor rainmakers can control.[Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility]csrf-southsudan.orgConflict Sensitivity Resource FacilityApril 13, 2023…Published: April 13, 2023

Amazon book picks

Further Reading

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Endnotes

1. Source: csrf-southsudan.org
Link:https://csrf-southsudan.org/the-challenges-of-protecting-people-accused-of-misusing-supernatural-powers-in-south-sudan/

Published: April 13, 2023

2. Source: frontierspartnerships.org
Link:https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/journals/pastoralism-research-policy-and-practice/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15944/full

3. Source: theguardian.com
Title: The Guardian Weatherwatch: The rainmakers | Drought | The Guardian
Link:https://www.theguardian.com/news/2014/mar/24/weatherwatch-pari-rain-chief-sudan

4. Source: radiotamazuj.org
Title: Radio Tamazuj Rainmaker killed in Torit County ‘for causing drought’
Link:https://www.radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/rainmaker-killed-in-torit-county-for-causing-drought

Published: August 13, 2015

5. Source: csrf-southsudan.org
Title: What We Do
Link:https://csrf-southsudan.org/about-us/what-we-do/

6. Source: csrf-southsudan.org
Link:https://csrf-southsudan.org/

7. Source: csrf-southsudan.org
Title: Ranga Gworo
Link:https://csrf-southsudan.org/author/ranga/

8. Source: radiotamazuj.org
Title: Hunt on for youth who buried ‘rainmaker’ alive in E. Equatoria
Link:https://www.radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/hunt-on-for-youth-who-buried-rainmaker-alive-in-e-equatoria

9. Source: staging.csrf-southsudan.org
Link:https://staging.csrf-southsudan.org/repository/girl-child-blood-compensation-practice-among-the-lotuko-in-eastern-equatoria-state/

10. Source: csrf-southsudan.org
Link:https://csrf-southsudan.org/repository/climate-change-and-conflict-in-south-sudan-community-perceptions-and-implications-for-conflict-sensitive-aid/

11. Source: csrf-southsudan.org
Title: Flood, Displacement and violence in South Sudan
Link:https://csrf-southsudan.org/repository/flood-displacement-and-violence-in-south-sudan/

12. Source: radiotamazuj.org
Title: Rainmaker killed; body burnt to ashes in Ikotos County
Link:https://www.radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/rainmaker-killed-body-burnt-to-ashes-in-ikotos-county

13. Source: radiotamazuj.org
Title: Rainmaker buried alive in Lafon County, E. Equatoria
Link:https://www.radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/rainmaker-buried-alive-in-lafon-county-e-equatoria

Additional References

14. Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/407122058_Rainmaking_and_climate_change_global_discourse_and_local_perspectives_over_regicide_in_South_Sudan

Published: June 16, 2026

15. Source: wfp.org
Link:https://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-triggers-historic-anticipatory-action-plan-shield-people-severe-drought-impact-south-sudan

16. Source: southsudan.un.org
Title: 311562 pbf south sudan brief
Link:https://southsudan.un.org/en/311562-pbf-south-sudan-brief

Published: March 10, 2026

17. Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8vKNyah1uo

18. Source: youtube.com
Title: East Africa drought crisis_South Sudan
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTsGgL8fMsU

19. Source: youtube.com
Title: Food security and why it matters for peace in South Sudan
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR_RVUpYtx4

20. Source: odihpn.org
Link:https://odihpn.org/en/publication/conflict-sensitive-aid-at-the-intersection-of-climate-change-conflict-and-vulnerability-in-south-sudan/

21. Source: aljazeera.com
Link:https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/10/3/death-of-a-rainmaker-when-drought-means-murder-in-south-sudan

22. Source: eyeradio.org
Title: Eye Radio’Rainmaker’ buried alive in Eastern Equatoria’s Imehejek
Link:https://www.eyeradio.org/rainmaker-buried-alive-in-eastern-equatorias-imehejek/

23. Source: peacekeeping.un.org
Title: press release unmiss calls immediate end fighting eastern equatoria
Link:https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/news/press-release-unmiss-calls-immediate-end-fighting-eastern-equatoria