If recent events in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo seem familiar, it is because in many ways they are. History is repeating itself – as it tends to in places where deep-seated problems are left to fester. The…
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The Sudd Institute, founded by RVI Fellow Jok Madut Jok, is a newly established research organisation that aims “to improve the quality, impact, and accountability of local, national, and international policy and decision-making in South Sudan.” The Institute’s first…
Un nuevo grupo rebelde – M23 – han sacudido Congo, al gobierno congoleño, los países vecinos y la comunidad internacional. Ahora amenaza con dirigirse hacia la capital del país, Kinshasa. Más de 500.000 personas se han visto desplazadas en…
Janis Fitch, the Institute’s bookkeeper from 2005 until this year, died in London in November after a short illness. She was 74. A staunch atheist, Janis loved cats, bright clothes, jewellery and photography. Keith Blaxill, the RVI’s accountant, writes:…
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s M23 rebel group said it’s preparing to withdraw from Goma, a day after saying any pull-out would be conditional on President Joseph Kabila’s government meeting a series of demands. The renegade fighters plan to…
Rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo kept a firm grip on Wednesday over towns captured from government forces, despite a pledge to respect a deal brokered by Uganda and withdraw. World powers and regional neighbors are scrambling to…
The poet Maxamed Ibrahim Warsame ‘Hadraawi’, has been awarded the Prince Claus Award. The award was presented to Hadraawi at a ceremony in Hargeisa on 17 April by Joost Reintjes, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Kenya….
Televised comments made by Amb. Susan Rice shortly after the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi have dominated the debate over her probable nomination for secretary of state. This is a bit surprising, since it's clear that she…
Dozens of new images have been added to a website featuring more than 160 photographs, maps and drawings of Mogadishu, dating back to the late eighteenth century. Visitors to Mogadishu: Images from the Past are invited to add comments under each…
Que veut le M23? Pourquoi Kinshasa semble impuissant militairement? Comment le Président Kabila peut-il sauver son régime face a la fronde de l'opinion congolaise? Tentatives de réponse avec Erik Nyindu et ses invités. (RVI translation:) Vice Versa: Is the…
Recent Publications
The Political Economy of Coffee in the Sidama–Gedeo–Guji Belt, Southern Ethiopia
September 4, 2026
This report is part of a wider research project on the political economy of coffee in Ethiopia in the context of the political transition since 2018. It focuses on the Sidama–Gedeo–Guji coffee belt in southern Ethiopia, aiming to understand the
SHECONF 2026: International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities
July 9, 2026
Event report On 26 March 2026, researchers, practitioners and academics gathered in Addis Ababa for SHECONF 2026, an International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities in Ethiopia, the first of its kind convened by the Ethiopian Women Researchers Network (EWNET).
State Capture in Africa: How elite networks undermine democracy, development and security
June 24, 2026
Key points State capture has been increasingly recognized as a major governance challenge due to the way it helps to drive many of the most pressing problems facing contemporary states, including democratic erosion, corruption, economic exclusion, insecurity and declining trust