The Horn of Africa: rebuilding or in meltdown?
There could hardly be a more poignant or devastating reminder of divisive instability that has spread throughout the Horn of Africa. On Monday, I moderated a discussion panel on how arts and literature can help rebuild society in the Horn of Africa. But I shouldn’t have been there at all. Yusuf Hassan, the intended moderator […]
The Future of Humanitarian Action
In June the Nairobi Forum hosted a consultation on the future of humanitarian action in the Horn of Africa and East Africa with the Feinstein International Centre at Tufts University and InterAction. The Forum also held a book launch for The Golden Fleece: Manipulation and Independence in Humanitarian Action (Kumarian 2012) edited by Antonio Donini (Feinstein International Centre).
Aid for displaced Somalis stolen
‘Gatekeepers’ are siphoning off food aid intended for internally displaced people living in squalid camps in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, Refugees International said in a report on Thursday, calling on aid agencies to stop operating via remote control from neighbouring Kenya. There are some 184,000 internally displaced people in Mogadishu, and some 1.36 million Somalis […]
EVENT | Nairobi Forum: A Somali Spring?
The election of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as President of Somalia on 10 September was a major event in the region, bringing to an end a deeply flawed, eight-year political transition. The election of an active member of civil society who has consistently worked to end Somalia’s conflict has both electrified Somalis and surprised and relieved […]
Somaliland: The Future for Democracy is Positive – Somalilanders Speak
Since it declared independence in 1991, Somaliland has worked to develop a system of multi-party democracy. The result is a relatively complex but home-grown set of political arrangements, providing concessions to and incorporating different interest groups. This was the unanimous summation of various stakeholders on the 27th June at the British Institute in Eastern Africa; […]
Nuruddin Farah in conversation with Binyavanga Wainaina
On 18 April, the Nairobi Forum, in partnership with Kwani Trust, hosted an evening with renowned Somali author Nuruddin Farah. Nuruddin is winner of the Neustadt International Prize for literature and the Lettre Ulysses Award, and has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times. His body of work includes two trilogies, Variations on the […]
RVI Nairobi Forum’s ‘Remittance transfers to Somalia’ event on China Central TV
An introduction to Somalia
On 18-19 February 2013, RVI and the Somalia NGO Consortium co-hosted a two-day 'Introduction to Somalia' course at the Lukenya Getaway in Kenya. RVI managed the first day's event, providing a brief introduction to the history, politics, and culture of Somalia. On the second day, the NGO Consortium provided practical advice for NGOs operating in Somalia. […]
News from RVI
Debate Continues Over Uganda Army Role in South Sudan Conflict
Speakers at a Nairobi forum sponsored by the Rift Valley Institute expressed concern for the future of South Sudan following a ceasefire agreement brokered in Addis Ababa late last week. Participants also raised issues concerning the presence of Ugandan forces in the conflict. The negotiations were held by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the […]