Puntland’s Bari region is remote and mountainous with few roads and an increasingly distant relationship with Garowe, the state capital. The inaccessibility of the interior, where Islamists militants are active, has meant that coastal communities—more easily accessed by sea…
News
SEARCH
NEWS TYPES
REGION
The Somali diaspora has been a lifeline for people in Somalia for many years, responding to major humanitarian emergencies and everyday crises. The ways in which this humanitarian response is mobilised, channelled and delivered to people in Somalia is the subject of…
South Sudan’s borderland region with Sudan, in Northern Bahr el-Ghazal, is a hard place to make a living. Jobs are scarce, livelihoods insecure and movement across the border is heavily regulated. The region’s women often bear the heaviest burden as they…
This blog post was written by Michael Woldemariam and Jutta Bakonyi, the Co-Directors of Studies for the Rift Valley Institute’s Horn of Africa Course, which will be taking place in Ethiopia from 17-21 June 2019. Michael and Jutta will be joined…
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…
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….
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 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…
A year after the independence of South Sudan, RVI Executive Director John Ryle gave a lecture on Africa’s newest and most contentious border at the Centre for Federal Studies of Addis Ababa University on 25 October 2012. Demarcation of…
On 23 February world leaders gathered in London to discuss Somalia. Commentary by RVI Fellows and associates included Mark Bradbury in Open Democracy, Can the London conference on Somalia get it right this time?; Sally Healy, in the Financial…
Recent Publications

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,

Women in the Social Sciences and Humanities in Ethiopia: The case of Addis Ababa University
October 10, 2025
This preliminary assessment is part of the launch exercise of the Ethiopian Women Researchers’ Network (EWNET). Focusing on Addis Ababa University as a pioneering higher institution in the country, the study looks into the status of women within these disciplines
Iddir in Contemporary Social Science and Humanities Research in Ethiopia: Historicizing and theorizing local infrastructures of care
October 3, 2025
The second Ethiopian Women Researchers Network (EWNET) seminar was delivered by Desalegn Amsalu, Anteneh Tesfaye, Yasmin Bushra and Helen Zeru on 3 July 2025 at Addis Ababa University’s Alle School of Fine Arts & Design. EWNET SEMINAR SERIES REPORT The