Introduction Galmudug state in Somalia was, until recently, seen as a region of conflict and fragmentation, shaped by the legacy of violence passed down from the Somali civil war. Due to the constant conflict between clan-based political groupings, it…
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS The phased process of conducting local government elections (LGEs) in Puntland has now commenced, building on the agreements made between various political actors— mainly the political associations, Puntland state and the Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission (TPEC)….
Dulmar Inkastoo ay isbeddello waaweyn ka dheceen saaxadda siyaasadda Soomaaliya labaatankii sano ee lasoo dhaafay, arrin aan is beddelin ayaa ah ku tiirsanaanta nidaamka awood-qeybsiga beelaha, oo ay kamid tahay ‘4.5’. Inkastoo Dastuurka Kumeelgaarka ee Soomaaliya uusan dhigeyn wax…
Overview Amid the major changes to Somalia’s political landscape seen over the past two decades, an abiding feature has been the reliance on clan-based power-sharing models, including the ‘4.5’ formula. Despite the Somali Provisional Constitution containing no reference to…
Overview Since the formation of Jubaland state in 2012, decades of conflict have given way to increased stability across parts of the region. Even so, insecurity, political violence and humanitarian crises have persisted amid recurrent tensions between Jubaland and…
Dulmar Tan iyo markii la sameeyay dowlad-goboleedka Jubaland 2012-kii, tobannaan sano oo colaado ah ka dib, xasilooni ayaa ka jirta qeybo kamid ah gobolka. Iyadoo ay side tahay, waxaa weli sii socda amni darrada, gacan ka haal siyaasad la…
BACKGROUND For the past two months, disputes between political associations and the government of Puntland overshadowed the resumption of the local elections. Puntland has nine registered political associations that have competed during the recent early local elections. The rift…
INTRODUCTION According to the Puntland voter registration law (2021), to hold credible and transparent elections, voters must be registered to vote in a process managed by the Transitional Puntland Election Commission (TPEC). The registration process is one of the…
Overview: Hirshabelle’s volatile political settlement Hirshabelle has been the site of continued political instability since its hasty formation as a Federal Member State (FMS) in October 2016, combining the two regions of Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle. Throughout the process,…
Dulmar: Siyaasadda aan xasilooneyn ee Hirshabelle Hirshabeelle waxaa ka jiray xasilooni darro siyaasadeed tan iyo markii si deg deg ah loo dhisay bishii Oktoobar 2016, iyadoo la isku daray labada gobol ee Hiiraan iyo Shabeellaha Dhexe. Intii ay hawsha…
Recent Publications
Digital Governance and Security in the Horn of Africa
March 28, 2025
While digital finance—including mobile money—has developed unevenly across Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, such technologies are nevertheless transforming everyday economic activities. In some cases, borderlands and cross-border financial flows are central to these digital developments and are driving further innovation. From
Legally Informal: Women, conflict and cross-border trade in the Mandera tri-border area
March 28, 2025
In the Mandera triangle—a pastoralist region encompassing the point at which the borders of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia meet—the reality of local and cross-border trade often diverges widely from official state policies of control. This disjunction has created a grey
Making Sense of Borderlands
March 27, 2025
This think piece is an extract of a longer paper taking stock of the roughly 40 X-Border studies carried out between 2019 and 2025 under the auspices of the Rift Valley Institute’s XCEPT programme. If we are to fully grasp