The Somali Mobilities Forum is a hybrid event bringing together scholars and practitioners to examine how Somali experiences of mobility are changing, and what continuities persist in contexts of displacement, violence, and precarity.

The forum will explore how Somalis are classified and treated amid heightened hostility towards migrants and refugees and declining humanitarian support. It will also consider the agency and strategies through which Somali communities and their allies are responding, including local solidarities, legal advocacy, protest, and policy initiatives. Attention will be given to how experiences of mobility vary across gender, generational, class, and clan identities, and to the implications for future research and policy agendas.

Event details

Date: Thursday, 19 February 2026
Time: 2:00–5:00 PM (EAT)
Location: BIEA Seminar Room, Laikipia Road, Nairobi, and online

Chair: Mark Bradbury, Executive Director, Rift Valley Institute
Discussant: Mohammed Hassan, Refugee-Led Research Hub

Speakers:
Elia Vitturini, University of Milan
Fardosa Saleh, Refugee-Led Research Hub
Fred Ikanda, Maseno University

Joining online

Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87029814100?pwd=y23lPjbuOca2TRDXPgnAROmuG3XmcM.1
Meeting ID: 870 2981 4100
Passcode: welC0ME

Download full details

For speaker abstracts, biographies, and full event details, please download the full programme below.