Bruno Braak, MLitt (1987) is PhD candidate with the Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance, and Society of Leiden University. In 2015, he started his PhD research on local dispute resolution and justice provision in Western Equatoria State, South Sudan, with a specific focus on land disputes and family law. After conflict and displacement disrupted WES, he continued his research with people who had fled Western Equatoria State to Uganda. He previously assisted in the research of Dr. Janine Ubink on customary legal empowerment in Ghana, Namibia and Malawi.

Bruno studied Peace and Conflict Studies (MLitt) at the University of St Andrews. His master’s thesis on peace missions in Kosovo was awarded the Sir Menzies Campbell Prize for the best thesis written in the School of International Relations. Before that, he studied Cultural Anthropology at Leiden University with a minor in Law, Culture and Development offered by the Van Vollenhoven Institute. Bruno has completed internships with NRC Handelsblad, the Netherlands Embassy in Sudan, the Clingendael Institute and Stichting Duurzame Samenleving Papua. He has also set up a website with video-interviews - www.warandpeacetalk.com