This blog is part of a series that showcases the rich diversity of information held in the South Sudan National Archives (SSNA). RVI works in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Museums and National Heritage on the preservation…
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After a long battle with cancer, our friend and colleague Santino passed away on 28 October 2020 in Khartoum in the care of his family. Santino was deeply dedicated to learning and teaching. Born in Wedweil village north…
Dr Adan Yusuf Abokor (‘Dr Adan’ to his colleagues and friends) who died last week in Turkey, was a remarkable man. Born in Hargeisa, Somaliland, in 1946, he grew up in Aden, Yemen, where he attended a Catholic mission…
Over the past five years of RVI’s South Sudan Customary Authorities (SSCA) project, the Institute has built a strong level of trust with customary authorities across the country. Continued engagement with chiefs is essential, particularly in finding ways to…
The Somali Dialogue Platform (the ‘Platform’) is a multi-year programme funded by the FCDO, USAID, BUILD and DANIDA. The Somali Dialogue Platform provides a neutral space for political dialogue on contentious issues in Somalia’s political settlement, such as…
Applications are invited from eligible candidates for a doctoral studentship on the history of constitution-making in Sudan since the 1950s. The doctorate will be supervised by Justin Willis (Durham University) and Willow Berridge (Newcastle University). This funded doctoral…
By Mimi Kuer Bior In April 2020, when COVID-19 reached South Sudan, many of RVI’s South Sudanese researchers decided to return to their hometowns to avoid what they believed would be a large outbreak in the country’s capital,…
The Rift Valley Institute is seeking a highly experienced and dynamic educator to design and manage a professional development programme for early career researchers in eastern and central Africa. The position will be based in one of the countries…
Serving as a creative hub for ideas designed to strengthen inclusive global governance, the Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership in International Affairs was established in 2014, adding the capacity to develop a new generation of leaders to Chatham…
The Rift Valley Institute works in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Museums and National Heritage (MoCMNH) on the preservation and digitization of the South Sudan National Archives (SSNA). Under the current project, funded by the Government of…
Recent Publications

DOMINANT PATTERNS AND DYNAMICS OF URBAN CONTESTATIONS IN HAWASSA
February 12, 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. In this regard, Hawassa in Sidama region provides an

RESTRUCTURING THE MARGINS: EMERGING POLITICAL ORDERS IN KENYA’S BORDERLANDS
February 11, 2025
During the past decade, northern Kenya’s peripheral border counties have become key to the central state’s political and economic agenda. This synthesis report therefore uses the concept of ‘restructuring the margins’ to unpack the findings of two case study reports

INFORMAL TRADE, GENDER AND CONFLICT DYNAMICS ON THE NEW KENYA-ETHIOPIA TRADE CORRIDOR
January 31, 2025
This report examines the effects of infrastructure development and shifting political conditions on trade and conflict at the Kenya–Ethiopia border, including on gender dynamics. In doing so, it focuses on how small-town cross-border traders in the town of Moyale, which