Book Launch: First Raise A Flag
South Sudan recently celebrated a new peace deal, hoping to bring an end to a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people since 2013. However, with a number of peace deals being signed in the past, with limited success, some remain sceptical of the ability of the new agreement to hold. On 7 […]
Are Remittances the Silver Bullet to Tackle Vulnerability in Somalia?
The importance of remittances to the household economy across Somalia is well-recognized. What is less well understood is the relationship between remittances and the relative vulnerability of certain communities, particularly to drought and food insecurity. This event—part of the Rift Valley Institute’s work on ‘Remittances and Vulnerability in Somalia’, in partnership with the World Bank—explored the […]
Book Launch: Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics
From the upheavals of recent national elections to the success of the #MyDressMyChoice feminist movement, digital platforms have already had a dramatic impact on political life in Kenya—one of the most electronically advanced countries in Africa. While the impact of the Digital Age on Western politics has been extensively debated, there is still little appreciation […]
Conflict Economies on South Sudan’s Borders
South Sudan’s warring parties signed a new peace deal in September 2018, hopefully bringing peace after a protracted and factionalised conflict that began in December 2013. International attention has focused on these elite political rivalries and deals, and their repeated mobilisations of armed recruits and militias throughout the conflicts. There has been little attempt to […]
Photo Exhibition: A Rift Valley Forum Meeting
On 3 April 2019, the Rift Valley Forum hosted an exhibition of photographs and testimonies from displaced people across the four Somali cities of Baidoa, Bosaaso, Hargeisa and Mogadishu. This was part of the ‘Security on the Move’ project carried out by Durham University, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, and the Somali civil society organisation […]
Participation, Voice and Governance in Investment Corridors in Africa: The case of LAPSSET
Since 2012, the Kenyan government has begun commissioning work on the Lamu Port and South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (Corridor) project, commonly known as LAPSSET. The corridor, which consists of road, railway and new port facilities, promises to radically alter the landscape of northern Kenya—a historically marginalized region. Communities living in the corridor have raised concerns […]
Women in Islam
Muslim women around the world have increasingly been in the limelight for their leadership roles and the boldness with which they address critical issues affecting their community. In Sudan for instance, women are visibly on the frontline of the current uprising, defying security forces to demand for president Omar Al-Bashir’s resignation after three decades […]
Masculinities and Violent Extremism
Little attention has been given to the gendered dimensions of radicalization and violent extremist organizations, yet extremist leaders demonstrate how gendered norms and expectations versus individuals’ realities and lack of power can play into recruitment push and pull factors. On 8 May 2019, the Rift Valley Forum, in collaboration with Promundo, hosted a panel discussion to share […]
The Struggle for South Sudan
South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, has had a turbulent start to its existence as an independent nation. Although fighting has reduced in most parts of the country since the revitalised peace deal in September 2018, conflict and violence continue. More than four million people have been forced to flee their homes, 200,000 of […]
Launch of the Special Issue of the Journal of Eastern African Studies
In 2017, the Rift Valley Institute was involved in a study on the risks and challenges facing Kenya ahead of the 2017 elections and the prospects for a peaceful poll. On 27 May 2019, the findings from that study were disseminated through the launch of a special issue of the Journal of Eastern African Studies: Has […]