Report Launch: Somali Capacities to Respond to Crisis are Changing; How are Humanitarian Actors Responding?
Protracted drought in Somalia in 2022 and 2023 lead to widespread suffering and a significant loss of lives. The drivers of this “near-famine” mirrored those of previous crises in 2011 and 2017, including drought, conflict, and fragile governance. Why, despite the similarities, did the crisis prove to be less devastating? A new study by the […]
Diaspora Humanitarianism
How Somalia’s African Diaspora Assist Somalia Giving in African societies is part and parcel of everyday life, reflecting patterns of care, reciprocity, and religious practices. In times of conflict and socio-natural disasters, giving to kin, compatriots, or even strangers are well-established means of solidarity and emergency assistance. Giving comes with implications, however, that range from […]
Darfur: The Ongoing Crisis and Humanitarian Responses
The horrific fighting in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, has grabbed news headlines since violence broke out on 15 April 2023. This violence shattered Khartoum’s reputation as an island of stability, with many noting that Khartoum had not been attacked in such a manner since the 19th century. The novelty of the attacks on Khartoum has however […]
Inclusive Urban Infrastructure (IUI) Forum
Access to reliable, quality, efficient and affordable services is central to the leave-no-one-behind agenda underpinning the Sustainable Development Goals. Since 2020, Inclusive Urban Infrastructure (IUI) research consortium has been engaging low-income communities in 4 capital and 4 secondary cities in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Somaliland to research the formal, informal and often illegal ways […]
Why did peace in Sudan fail?
The role of international actors in the unravelling of the transition Since the revolution in Sudan in April 2019, the international community has been involved in numerous rounds of peace agreements and transitional frameworks. However, all of these agreements have been violated and eventually collapsed. On 21 June 2023, the Rift Valley Forum will host a roundtable […]
Book Launch Podcast: ‘The People vs Peacemaking’- People power and the future of peace in the Horn and East Africa region
Over the past two decades, the Horn and Eastern Africa Region have witnessed a proliferation of peace-making and peace-building processes as a means of democratisation. A wealth and power sharing governance arrangements designed and upheld by regional and international institutions often saw the transfer of political decision-making away from the local and national level, consolidating […]
Thinking about the Future: Climate change and its impacts in eastern and Central Africa
For two weeks, world attention is focused on the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow. There, international leaders and concerned citizens are gathering to accelerate actions towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change as tackling and adapting to climate change is […]
Understanding the Coup in Khartoum: Drivers, latest developments and consequences for Sudan
In the early hours of 25 October, the military-security council of the Sudanese Transitional Government mounted a coup against its civilian partner, removing the Prime Minister and several civilian ministers from power. General Abdel–Fatah Burhan, leader of the coup, cited disarray within […]
Are elections even necessary?
Over the past year, countries across the East Africa region have held elections to elect leaders at various levels. These polls have been accompanied by complaints over irregularities, violence and a general lack of credibility. In Uganda and Tanzania, disputed polls and allegations of rigging by incumbents were followed by brutal crackdowns on democratic freedoms. […]
What Are The Alternatives To Elections
Over the past year, countries across the East Africa region have held elections to elect leaders at various levels. These polls have been accompanied by complaints over irregularities, violence and a general lack of credibility. In Uganda and Tanzania, disputed polls and allegations of rigging by incumbents were followed by brutal crackdowns on democratic freedoms. […]