Publications

The Institute 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. Blogs can be read here.

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. Print versions of most books and reports, and digital versions in Kindle and other specialist formats, are available for sale from Amazon and other online retailers, and from selected bookstores. Proceeds from sales are allocated to the Institute's Scholarship Fund, which provides support to researchers and activists from eastern and central Africa.

The views expressed in books and reports published by the RVI are those of the authors, not the Institute.

The impact of war on Somali men and its effects on the family, women and children

Rift Valley Forum Rift Valley Forum

Horn of Africa

Briefings

The impact of war on Somali men and its effects on the family, women and children

Judith Gardner, Judy El-Bushra

2016

The impact of war on Somali men and its effects on the family, women and children by Judith Gardner and Judy El-Bushra - RVI Rift Valley Forum Briefing Paper (2016).pdf

In recent years Somalia has earned the ignominy of being ranked ‘one of the worst places in the world to be a woman’, the worst place on Earth to be a mother and ‘one of the worst places in the world to be a child.' Contributing factors cited include high female illiteracy, widespread Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), early and forced marriage, high levels of maternal and infant mortality,…

The Ebb and Flow of Stabilization in the Congo

Usalama Usalama

Great Lakes

Briefings

The Ebb and Flow of Stabilization in the Congo

Hugo de Vries

2016

The Ebb and Flow of Stabilization in the Congo by Hugo de Vries - RVI PSRP Usalama Project Briefing (2016).pdf

<p>Stabilization has become a buzzword in peacekeeping, with UN missions in such diverse environments as Haiti, the Central African Republic, and Mali all claiming it as their central goal. Few of these missions, however, seem to have a clear understanding of what the concept means in practice. The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) appears to refer to stabilization as a…

Comprendre la prolifération des groupes armés dans l’est du Congo

Usalama Usalama

Great Lakes

Briefings

Comprendre la prolifération des groupes armés dans l’est du Congo

Judith Verweijen, Claude Iguma Wakenge

2015

Comprendre la prolife#U0301ration des groupes arme#U0301s dans l#U2019est du Congo par Judith Verweijen et Claude Iguma Wakenge - RVI PSRP Projet Usalama Briefing (2015)_0.pdf

Après la défaite militaire de la rébellion du M23 en novembre 2013, la mobilisation armée s’est poursuivie à un rythme effréné dans l’est de la République démocratique du Congo. Malgré un fort retentissement, une première série de redditions n’a pas duré, et elle a surtout concerné des combattants individuels plutôt que des groupes armés entiers. Courant 2014, le paysage des groupes armés a…

Understanding Armed Group Proliferation in the Eastern Congo

Usalama Usalama

Great Lakes

Briefings

Understanding Armed Group Proliferation in the Eastern Congo

Judith Verweijen, Claude Iguma Wakenge

2015

Understanding Armed Group Proliferation in the Eastern Congo by Judith Verweijen and Claude Iguma Wakenge - RVI PSRP Usalama Project Briefing (2015).pdf

After the military defeat of the Mouvement du 23 mars (M23, March 23 Movement) rebellion in November 2013, armed mobilization in the eastern DRC has continued at a frightening pace. An initial, much-advertized wave of surrenders did not persist, and consisted mostly of individual combatants rather than armed groups as a whole. During the course of 2014, the armed group landscape…

Rift Valley Forum Rift Valley Forum

Research Reports

LAPSSET

Adrian J. Browne

2015

LAPSSET by Adrian J. Browne - RVI Rift Valley Forum (2015).pdf

‘This study is in-depth, up-to-date and the first of its kind on a massive infrastructure development project in the region, examining its history, politics, evolution, the emergence of actors and interests and effects on the poor and marginalized. It presents the ambitions and ambiguities of a megaproject never seen in the development history of the region. The report is a comprehensive…

Sudan and South Sudan

Meeting Reports

We Have Lived Too Long to Be Deceived

Multiple Authors

2015

We Have Lived Too Long to Be Deceived - RVI 2014 Juba Lecture Series (2015).pdf

In December 2013, South Sudan descended into conflict. Peace initiatives over the following eighteen months culminated in an agreement between government and armed opposition, signed in August 2015. While the agreement came into effect in late 2015, many uncertainties surround its implementation. Do previous conflicts and agreements hold useful lessons? Academics, activists and church…

Rift Valley Forum Rift Valley Forum

Horn of Africa

Research Papers

Following Mobile Money in Somaliland

Gianluca Iazzolino

2015

Following Mobile Money in Somaliland by Gianluca Iazzolino - RVI Rift Valley Forum Research Paper 4 (2015).pdf

‘This study provides an interesting and unusual insight into the state-building process in Somaliland. Taking Zaad—our everyday companion here in Somaliland—Iazzolino explores the intricate nature of private and public sector relations. Vividly mapping the landscape of the mobile money transfer system, he identifies the importance of trust as its foundation, and the role that banking,…

Rift Valley Forum Rift Valley Forum

Great Lakes

Meeting Reports

Burundi at the Crossroads

Ramsey Beck

2015

Burundi at the Crossroads - RVI Nairobi Forum Meeting Report (2015).pdf

Key points

• The political crisis in Burundi risks escalating into civil war, with an ethnic dimension.

• The response from governments in the region has been muted and equivocal.

• Donor countries have cut back aid, which may exacerbate instability.

• A new coup that normalized political processes might not be unwelcome, either to Burundians or other…

Rift Valley Forum Rift Valley Forum

Great Lakes

Meeting Reports

Sacred Causes

Ramsey Beck

2015

Sacred Causes - RVI Nairobi Forum Meeting Report (2015).pdf

Key points

• Efforts to negotiate peace in South Sudan have been hindered by the lack of a coherent international approach such as the Inter-Congolese Dialogue eventually enjoyed.

• IGAD’s assumption of a mediating rather than a facilitating role and the conflicting interests of IGAD member states have rendered it ineffective.

• IGAD should support the development of…

Rift Valley Forum Rift Valley Forum

Horn of Africa

Meeting Reports

Closing Dadaab

Nanjala Nyabola

2015

Closing Dadaab #U2013 RVI Nairobi Forum Meeting Report (2015).pdf

Key points

• A sudden, forced repatriation of Dadaab’s 350,000 Somalis would violate Kenyan and international law, could destabilize Somalia and ultimately undermine Kenyan security.

• Although Kenya will not forcibly repatriate Dadaab’s Somali residents, the government’s policy is to work for the camps’ closure and for the return of the residents to Somalia.

• …

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Where RVI Works

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WHERE THE INSTITUTE WORKS