The Nairobi Forum and the British Institute in Eastern Africa co-hosted the launch of a special Somalia edition of the Journal of Eastern African Studies on 19 April. The meeting, entitled ‘Continuities and change: Social, political and economic dynamics in Somalia since 1991’, examined the strengths and weaknesses of hybrid political structures, the roles of local authorities, and the importance that Somalis in Kenya play in the reconstruction of Somalia. Journal authors present included Markus Hoehne (Max Planck Institute), Jutta Bakonyi (University of Durham) and Jason Mosley (University of Oxford). Other participants included Mohamed Abshir ‘Waldo’, Ibrahim Farah (University of Nairobi), Marleen Renders, author of Consider Somaliland: State-building with Traditional Leaders and Institutions, Fouzia Musse, Zamzam Abdi Billow (CARE) and Cedric Barnes (International Crisis Group).