Mark Bradbury, RVI Horn of Africa and East Africa Regional Director, welcomed participants to the launch of Somalilanders Speak: Lessons from the 2012 local elections, a report jointly published by Saferworld and SONSAF. The report records the observations of civil society organizations and proposes ways in which electoral procedures and the democratization process can be further…

This joint meeting of the Rift Valley Institute and Road International was opened by Nuur Mohamud Sheekh, Coordinator of the RVI Nairobi Forum, who introduced Rage Mohamed of Road International. The purpose was to discuss the role MPs are playing in conflict mediation and resolution in north-eastern Kenya—in the three recently-created counties of Garissa, Mandera and Wajir. Conflict in this…

Somali migrants from around the world remit $1.3 billion annually. This exceeds the total sum for humanitarian aid to Somalia, which reaches $800 million at its highest. Remittances make a significant contribution to Somali household income and food security. In Puntland and Somaliland an estimated 40% of families depend on them to meet their food security needs. Over 50,000 people across the…