In response to recent events in Ethiopia, notably the declining space for civil society and humanitarian actors to operate and limited media coverage of the Ethiopia conflict, on 1 December 2020, the Rift Valley Forum hosted a panel discussion to explore the role of regional bodies and civil society in managing and mitigating conflict.

The Forum was moderated by Rift Valley Forum Manager, Pauline Skaper. The panel of discussants included Rashid Abdi, Horn of Africa Political Analyst, Rita Mazzocchi, Horn of Africa Civil Society Forum, Peter Kamalingin, Uganda Country Director at Oxfam, and Kibreab Abera Lomencho, lawyer and activist.