The Rift Valley Institute is pleased to announce that RVI Fellow, Aly Verjee, has been awarded the 2019 Oslo Forum Peacewriter Prize for his article, ‘Monitoring Ceasefires is Getting Harder: Greater Innovation is Required’. Aly Verjee is currently a Visiting Expert…
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To protect their neighbourhoods against the rampant criminality that engulfs the city of Uvira, in South Kivu province, youth conduct nightly patrols. These patrol groups are also known as ‘balala rondo’ from the Swahili word kulala (to sleep) and…
Introduction On 5 July 2019, the Rift Valley Forum launched the book, Widow Inheritance and Contested Citizenship in Kenya, by Dr. Awino Okech. The book explores the intersection between power, gender and sexuality, and the role of body politics in the construction…
This blog is the second part of a research project called ‘Navigating migration and the experiences of Congolese refugees in Nairobi’. The project’s aim is to better understand the drivers and dynamics of Congolese migration to Nairobi, and…
This blog is the first part of a research project called ‘Navigating migration and the experiences of Congolese refugees in Nairobi’. The project’s aim is to better understand the drivers and dynamics of Congolese migration to Nairobi, and…
Overview This briefing analyses research teaching and practice in Somaliland and Puntland, with a particular focus on the University of Hargeysa (UoH) and Puntland State University (PSU). It builds on a needs assessment that was carried out in conjunction…
The Rift Valley Institute will participate in the Hargeysa International Book Fair (HIBF) panel event ‘The Wisdom of Elders’, to be held on 23 July in Hargeysa, Somaliland. Two South Sudanese chiefs from Aweil and Yambio, with whom RVI…
This blog post was written by Nicki Kindersley and Magdi el-Gizouli, the Co-Directors of Studies for the Rift Valley Institute’s Sudan and South Sudan Course, which will be taking place in Sagana, Kenya from 20-25 May 2018. The course…
This blog post was written by Terrence Lyons and Peter Chonka, the Co-Directors of Studies for the Rift Valley Institute’s Horn of Africa Field Course, which will be taking place in Sagana, Kenya from 27 May to 1 June 2018….
Marol Academy is a community primary school in Southern Sudan, in Warab state. It opened in 2008 with 350 students and seven teachers. Founded by Dr Jok Madut Jok, an RVI Fellow born in Warab, the Academy is one…
Recent Publications

Politicizing Public Events in Addis Ababa
March 26, 2025
The political landscape in Ethiopia since 2018 exemplifies how historical interpretations rooted in collective memory can shape political alignments. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali’s initial embrace of great tradition narratives clashed with the historical perspectives of his core constituency, the

Contested Urban Spaces in Ethiopia: A synthesis of case studies in Dire Dawa, Hawassa and Hosanna
March 25, 2025
Studying urban contestations in Ethiopia’s secondary cities can help us understand how the urban centres outside of Addis Ababa are evolving during an ongoing period of significant socio-economic and political change. Ethiopia’s urban centres are the location of ongoing political

Ethiopia’s Red Sea Politics: Corridors, ports and security in the Horn of Africa
March 24, 2025
The Horn of Africa is a region marked by complex infrastructural interdependencies, where the decline and emergence of trade corridors continue to reshape the economic and political relations within and between states. This study draws on the Memorandum of Understanding