Uganda is at a political and democratic crossroads. Despite being a nominal democracy, incumbent president Yoweri Museveni, who has been at the helm for 34 years, shows no intention of relinquishing power and increasingly relies on the military to…
RVI publishes books, research reports, research papers, briefings and meeting reports in a range of formats. Publications cover policy, research, arts, culture and local knowledge in the countries of eastern and central Africa. Research publications—books, reports and papers—are peer-reviewed. Some RVI publications are also available in French and/or Arabic.
The RVI is a signatory of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (2001); all publications are free for download in PDF format under Creative Commons licences. The views expressed in books and reports published by the RVI are those of the authors, not the Institute.
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17-kii Sebteembar, hoggaanka Dowladda Federaalka iyo Dowlad-goboleedyada xubnaha ka ah Dowladda Federaalka waxay ku heshiiyeen qaab doorasho dadban oo loogu talagalay doorashooyinka soo socda ee dalka. Iyadoo laga ambaqaadayo doodo taxane ah oo Dhuusamareeb ka qabsoomay bilaha Luulyo iyo…
In February 2020 Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir, appointed Hussein Abdel Bagi—head of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance—as one of his five vice-presidents. Abdel Bagi is a member of the Malual Dinka community from Madhol, on the Northern Bahr el-Ghazal…
On 17 September, the leaders of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and all five Federal Member States (FMS) agreed on an indirect electoral model for the country’s upcoming polls. Building on a series of discussions in Dhusamareb in…
Key points • Hussein Abdel Bagi’s appointment as the third Vice-President of South Sudan is an important building block for the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU), particularly its relations with Khartoum. Hussein’s long experience of Sudanese politics, and…
Displaced Tastes is a research project run by the Rift Valley Institute in partnership with the Catholic University of South Sudan under the X-Border Local Research Network. The project examines the changing tastes for food in South Sudan in…
This briefing summarizes findings from the mid-point of the Community Approaches to Epidemic Management in South Sudan research project. The project is run by the Rift Valley Institute (RVI) and funded by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office…
Codka kalsooni kala noqoshada ee 25-kii Luulyo lagu riday Ra’iisul Wasaarihii Soomaaliya wuxuu horseeday kalsooni darro siyaasadeed oo kasoo cusboonaatay Soomaaliya; dhaqanka siyaasadeed ayaa ah in uu Madaxweynaha soddon maalmood kusoo magacaabo Ra’iisul Wasaaraha xiga, kaasoo isaguna magacaabi doona…
The vote of no confidence on 25 July in the Prime Minister has led to renewed political uncertainty in Somalia; the constitution gives the President thirty days from this date to appoint the next Prime Minister, who will in…
The third update from RVI’s Somali Dialogue Platform project examines political dynamics around elections in Somalia and considerations for advancing dialogue to reach consensus. The update is a product of the Somali Dialogue Platform, which supports Somalis to achieve consensus on…
Recent Publications

Writing Ethiopia into the World, Writing the World from Ethiopia
October 7, 2026
The Ethiopian Women Researchers Network (EWNET) hosted an online scholarly webinar on Friday, 30 January 2026, titled ‘Writing Ethiopia into the World and Writing the World from Ethiopia’. The webinar examined how Ethiopia has been represented within global knowledge production

The Political Economy of Coffee in the Kaffa–Bench-Sheko–Sheka Belt, Southwest Ethiopia Region
October 6, 2026
This study provides a critical political economy analysis of the coffee sector in the Kaffa–Bench-Sheko–Sheka belt in Southwest Ethiopia Peoples’ Regional State, the genetic and cultural heartland of Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica). Based on 47 key respondent interviews, the study

The Political Economy of Coffee in the Jimma–Ilu Aba Bora–Buno Bedele Belt, Oromia Region
October 5, 2026
The findings of this study reveal a number of critical insights about the political economy of coffee in the Jimma–Ilu Aba Bora–Buno Bedele coffee belt. The coffee economy is shaped by a small number of influential actors, including state institutions,