Comments are in from participants on the RVI summer courses. One writes that he was 'inspired by the depth of knowledge’ at the Sudan and South Sudan Course in Kenya. Another notes the ‘passion and dedication to the Sudans’…
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RVI Fellow Douglas Johnson discussed South Sudan’s history, historiography, and sense of identity in the context of the new nation's first anniversary. Speaking at the ninth International South Sudan and Sudan Studies Conference in Bonn, he describing South Sudan…
Ken Menkhaus, RVI Fellow and Director of Studies on the Horn of Africa Course 2012 (more on RVI Courses below), has analysed the future of ‘governance without government’ in Somalia in an article for the al-Shahid Network. Describing the…
The RVI anniversary event at SOAS was introduced by the Director, John Ryle, in these words: "The RVI is a transnational network distributed across Eastern and Central Africa. Our goal is to bring local realities and local knowledge to…
In December 2011 the RVI marked its tenth anniversary year. On December 13 half-a-dozen Sudan Handbook contributors were present at the School of Oriental and African Studies for a panel discussion under the title "Next Year in Sudan and…
The latest rebel movement in North Kivu, known as M23, has set back hopes of peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. ‘The Congolese state, weak and disorganized, seems condemned to perpetual negotiations with rebels in its…
Tobias Hagmann and Kjetil Tronvoll’s Contested Power in Ethiopia: Traditional Authorities and Multi-Party Elections (2011) focuses on Ethiopia’s 2005 elections. The authors examine the significance of non-state actors, documenting the political strength and limitations of traditional leadership. In Getting…
The election of a new president in Somalia and the expected inauguration of a new prime minister in Ethiopia have prompted RVI Fellow Sally Healy to reflect on the challenges facing Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Mogadishu and Haile Mariam…
Sudan Looks East, co-edited by Dan Large and Luke A. Patey analyses the 'look east' policy adopted by Khartoum from the mid-1990s onwards. The book examines the rise of China, Malaysia and India and their significance in Sudan and…
South Sudan's second bookshop is now open at the Roots Project, Nimra Talata, in Juba town. Leaves bookshop is the brainchild of Awak Bior, an official at the Juba office of the European Union. The RVI, along with other…
Recent Publications
SSC-Khaatumo: Perspectives on the significance and implications of its formation
December 12, 2025
On 15 April 2025, during a visit to the city of Las Anod in Sool, Prime Minister Hassan Abdi Barre officially declared the federal government’s recognition of SSC-Khaatumo (SSC-K hereafter) as a federal member state, marking an important milestone in
Aid and Conflict Sensitivity in Contemporary Ethiopia
November 17, 2025
This study assesses conflict sensitivity practices among humanitarian, development and peacebuilding (HDP) actors in Ethiopia. It seeks to raise awareness and foster a deeper understanding of the evolving aid landscape in the country while analysing the challenges that affect conflict-sensitive
Enhancing the Role of Borderland Communities in Ethiopia’s Foreign Policy
October 15, 2025
Ethiopia’s borderland communities (BLCs) have historically influenced the country’s relations with its neighbours. These peripheral regions often serve as hubs for cross-border trade, repositories of natural resources and, at times, flashpoints of conflict. Surrounded by six neighbouring countries – Djibouti,