WAR AND THE BORDERLAND: NORTHERN BAHR EL-GHAZAL DURING THE SUDAN CONFLICT
The devastating war in Sudan between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has also had a profound impact on the country’s neighbours, particularly South Sudan. This is especially the case for areas that border Sudan, including Upper Nile, the Ruweng Administrative Area, and Northern Bahr el-Ghazal (NBG). RVI has been working […]
Podcast: The political economy of checkpoints in Somalia
In this podcast, hosted by Hannah Stogdon of the Rift Valley Institute (RVI), we delve into the intricate web of roadblocks, checkpoints, and their pivotal role in the political economy of cross-border trade and conflict in Somalia. Our guests, Peer Schouten, Abdirahman Edle, and Jamal Mohamed, share fresh evidence and invaluable insights from their research […]
PAYING THE PRICE: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF CHECKPOINTS IN SOMALIA
SUMMARY This report explores the political economy of checkpoints in Somalia: What drives their formation? What impacts do they have on trade, society and political projects? To explore these factors, new empirical data is presented on the distribution and costs of checkpoints operated by al-Shabaab and government actors, along with allied militia. Key findings are […]
BROKERING TRADE ROUTES
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF CHECKPOINTS ALONG THE BAIDOA CORRIDOR SUMMARY • The Baidoa corridor is a transport and trade route that connects Somalia’s coastal capital, Mogadishu, to Kenya via the border towns of Bula Hawa and Dollow, respectively. As with all trade and transport routes in Somalia, there are many checkpoints along the route that […]
NAVIGATING TRADE CONTROLS
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF CHECKPOINTS ALONG SOMALIA’S GARISSA CORRIDOR SUMMARY • The Garissa corridor is an essential artery for trade and exchange between Kismayo in Somalia’s Jubaland state, and the Kenyan city of Garissa. Checkpoints along this route were originally a militia phenomenon, with each sub-clan operating its own roadblocks.They proliferated during the clan militia […]
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 […]
SUDAN CONFLICT: ASSESSING THE RISK OF REGIONALIZATION
This paper focuses on the potential for a regionalization of the conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), including external involvement by Sudan’s neighbours and cross-border spill-over. It is the second in a series of briefing papers from Rift Valley Institute for the UK government’s XCEPT (Cross-Border Conflict, Evidence, […]
HEMEDTI CHALLENGES SAF’S CONTROL OVER SUDAN
This paper focuses on the origins and the political and military objectives of the two main internal actors – the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — in Sudan’s ongoing conflict. It is the first in a series of briefing papers from Rift Valley Institute for the UK government’s XCEPT (Cross-Border […]
THE CRISIS IN LASANOD: IMPLICATIONS FOR TRADE AND LIVELIHOODS IN ETHIOPIA’S SOMALI REGION
The current conflict over the contested city of Lasanod has the potential to expand into a crisis affecting several of the Somali-speaking territories. This blog – building on research the author conducted in 2021 – looks at the conflict from the perspective of Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State (SRS), focusing on the humanitarian fallout and the […]
RESISTANCE IN THE PERIPHERIES: CIVIL WAR AND FRAGILE PEACE IN SUDAN & ETHIOPIA’S BORDERLANDS
Summary • Historically, the people living along the Blue Nile – Benishangul-Gumuz borderlands in what is now Sudan and Ethiopia have been politically and socially marginalized within their respective political entities. As such they have sought ways to address this marginalization by undertaking a number of strategies. They have sought to mobilize and increase their […]