In this video, Joel Otieno, Programme Manager for the XCEPT project at the Rift Valley Institute, reflects on the importance of creating spaces for dialogue, reflection and collaboration around cross-border conflict in the Horn of Africa.

He highlights how the recent workshop brought together a wide range of stakeholders – from policymakers to practitioners – to interrogate the complex ways in which conflict, governance, trade and everyday life intersect in the region’s borderlands.

Joel underscores the value of XCEPT’s contribution to building knowledge where there has long been a gap. By generating evidence on how conflict connects across borders, he argues, the project equips stakeholders with the tools to respond thoughtfully and effectively to the realities of life in the borderlands.