In this video, Dr Nisar Majid – Senior Researcher at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and Fellow at the Rift Valley Institute (RVI) – shares reflections on the importance of long-term research in often-overlooked cross-border regions.

He discusses the need to go beyond problem-focused narratives by highlighting how people live their everyday lives in these areas. As conversations around borderlands grow, Dr Majid notes the value of this shift in building a more grounded understanding of the region.

Find out more about the work of RVI and XCEPT in shaping new perspectives on borderland areas across the Horn of Africa and beyond.