There is tension in the air, here in the village of Luberizi in South Kivu. We return after having spent the night in nearby Luvungi, deemed safer. Our interlocutor tells us that members of an armed group from the adjacent mountains visited him the previous evening. They asked him what these bazungu (‘white people’ in Swahili) had come to talk…

The Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) in the University of Hargeisa, the Centre for Postgraduate Studies, Research and Capacity Building (CPSRCD) in Puntland State University and the Rift Valley Institute have embarked on two-year partnership to enable the two universities to build their capacity to deliver high quality research.…

The Rift Valley Institute’s annual field courses will be held in East Africa in June and July 2016. Course applications are now open. Taught by teams of leading regional and international specialists, the three courses—now in their thirteenth year—provide the basis for an understanding of current political and developmental challenges in the…

Visiter Misisi ne manque pas de frapper l’imagination et la curiosité. Mine artisanale d’or la plus populeuse du territoire de Fizi, au Sud-Kivu, Misisi grouille de monde. Bien que localement contestée, la société minière CASA Mining est localement présente depuis 2010. Elle mène ses activités d’exploration sur les collines surplombant Misisi,…

The eastern DRC is home to dozens of armed groups. Studying these groups and the way they affect local governance and conflict dynamics is challenging. How can we gather reliable data on these groups? And how do we ensure our analysis is adequate? In the coming months, researchers of the second phase of RVI’s Usalama Project will share some of…

The rebel alliance fighting against President Omar al Bashir is looking less united by the day. For better or worse, the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), the alliance of insurgents against the government of President Bashir, is now reduced to its individual constituents: the four main armed movements, the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement…

Philip Winter, a founding Fellow of the RVI, will be Acting Executive Director of the Institute from October 2015 to June 2016. John Ryle, the RVI Executive Director, will be on leave during that time as a Fellow at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library. Philip Winter has been the representative for…

Philip Winter, a founding Fellow of the RVI, will be Acting Executive Director of the Institute from October 2015 to June 2016. John Ryle, the RVI Executive Director, will be on leave during that time as a Fellow at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library. Philip Winter has been the representative for…

The Rift Valley institute is currently seeking new staff in several locations: Nairobi, Hargeysa and London. The posts include two mid-level management positions and an internship. RVI Executive Director John Ryle said 'This is a chance to join one of the hardest-working teams in Eastern Africa, helping to make useful, rigorously researched…

The Rift Valley institute is currently seeking new staff in several locations: Nairobi, Hargeysa and London. The posts include two mid-level management positions and an internship. RVI Executive Director John Ryle said 'This is a chance to join one of the hardest-working teams in Eastern Africa, helping to make useful, rigorously researched…