Beats of the Antonov
On Tuesday 3 May 2016, the Rift Valley Forum screened a film, Beats of the Antonov, by Hajooj Kuka, followed by a discussion. Sudan has been in an almost constant state of civil war since it achieved independence in 1956 and divided into two sovereign states in 2011. On the border between South Sudan and Sudan, […]
Understanding Contemporary Ethiopia
On Friday 15 January 2016, the Rift Valley Forum hosted Gérard Prunier for the Nairobi launch of the book Understanding Contemporary Ethiopia: Monarchy, Revolution and the Legacy of Meles Zenawi, co-edited by Prunier and Éloi Ficquet. This anthology of essays by noted scholars of Ethiopia’s culture, history, politics, and society seeks to transcend the clichés […]
Following Mobile Money in Somaliland
On Thursday 5 May 2016, the Rift Valley Forum launched the research paper, Following Mobile Money in Somaliland, which examines the development of Zaad, Somaliland’s first mobile money platform. Launched in 2009, Zaad rapidly become a key feature of Somaliland’s financial infrastructure that had previously been dominated by remittance companies. The report charts the rapid growth […]
Boundary disputes and land governance in South Sudan and northern Uganda
In September 2014, a conflict erupted between South Sudanese and Ugandans in the borderlands of Kajokeji County, South Sudan and Moyo District, Uganda. Several people were killed, many more injured and thousands displaced. On 13 June 2016, the Rift Valley Forum launched the Rift Valley Institute publication, Dividing Communities in South Sudan and Northern Uganda, which […]
Reconciliation in the Sudans
In 2005, the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended two decades of civil war that claimed countless lives and displaced millions. Besides the international mediators, Sudanese churches were instrumental in preparing the ground for the peace agreement, just as they had been in the 1972 Addis Ababa Peace Agreement. On […]
South Sudan: The Chiefs Speak
Decades of war in South Sudan have had a damaging effect on the position of chiefs and other traditional leaders. But their influence remains strong. Today they confront a crisis in communal life: an increase in violent conflict within and between ethnic groups, the collapse of the national judicial system, the uncontrolled spread of firearms […]
Stabilization, Extraversion and Political Settlements in Somalia
On Tuesday 10 May 2016, the Rift Valley Forum together with the Political Settlements Research Programme (PRSP), hosted the launch of a report by Tobias Hagmann on Stabilization in Somalia. DOWNLOAD REPORT This report highlights the role of external aid in dysfunctional state building efforts in Somalia. Rather than assuming that foreign actors are outside […]
Violent Extremism: Risk and resilience in Kenya
In October 2011, the Kenyan government sent troops to Somalia under Operation ‘Linda Nchi‘ (Protect the Country). Aiming to create a security buffer zone, the intervention followed armed attacks and the abduction of foreign nationals in Kenya. However, the country continues to face the threat of armed attacks by extremist groups, particularly in Kenya’s northeast […]
Violent Extremism and Community Resilience
The emergence of the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) agenda reflects a recognition in policy circles that conventional security-based measures to counter terrorism have failed and, in some cases, has fueled greater marginalization and violence. With an emphasis on prevention, the CVE approach seeks to tackle the root causes of extremist violence by engaging with communities, with […]
Communicating in Troubled Times: A Conversation on Media and Democracy ahead of the 2017 Elections
The way media interacts with political and civil society actors frames critical moments in the political history of a country, such as contested elections or controversial electoral campaigns. In the wake of Kenya’s 2007 elections and the ensuing crisis, society blamed mainstream media outlets for feeding the violence. A journalist, Joshua Arap Sang, was indicted […]