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Publications

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.

2015

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…

2015

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…

2015

‘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…

2015

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…

2015

‘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,…

2015
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…

2015
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…

2015
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.

•    …

2015

‘The information in the report is accurate and ‘spot on’ … there is a lot to learn from this important issue.’
SUAD IBRAHIM ABDI, PROGRESSIO, SOMALILAND

‘The study is unique in the research questions it raises and in the relevance and significance of its findings. It is one of the best studies of elections in Somaliland in more than ten years. It deals…

2015

'A valuable contribution to the study of borderlands and state formation. It will be of great interest to students, scholars, policymakers and donors.'
REDIE BEREKTEAB, NORDIC AFRICA INSTITUTE, UPSSALA

'An ethnographic study of two Somali clans with in-depth analyses of the competing narratives that different community leaders advance. The book will generate a lively…