Rift Valley Institute

We Kissed the Ground: A migrant’s journey from Somaliland to the Mediterranean by Rift Valley Institute

The Political Marketplace Of South Sudan by Rift Valley Institute

International Archives Day with Becu Thomas and Youssef Onyalla by Rift Valley Institute

Prevention & Management of Drought-Induced Displacement by Rift Valley Institute

Drought & Displacement in Somalia by Rift Valley Institute

Africa's Stability: Past Present & Future - Part 2 by Rift Valley Institute

Africa's Stability: Past Present & Future - Part 1 by Rift Valley Institute

Strengthening Humanitarian Response In Insecure Settings by Rift Valley Institute

To charity workers, Dadaab refugee camp is a humanitarian crisis. To the Kenyan government it is an economic burden and a ‘breeding ground for terrorists’. To the Western media, it is a dangerous no-go area. But to its half a million residents seeking sanctuary, it is their last resort. In May, the Kenyan government announced the closure of the world’s largest refugee camp by November 2016. It subsequently disbanded the Department of Refugee Affairs, the agency tasked with overseeing the camp. In August, the Kenyan government stated that they would hold back its earlier decision to close the camp until peace was restored in Somalia. Although no one can give an assurance of when this will be, 2018 is the year quoted for the withdrawal of troops from Somalia. With this crisis being overshadowed by the European refugee and migrant crisis, the question remains: What next for the inhabitants of Dadaab? On 8 September, the Rift Valley Forum and Amnesty International hosted a panel discussion with representativ

In 2013, almost half of Africa’s top aid recipients were ruled by authoritarian regimes. Many international donors such as USAID, DFID, the World Bank and the European Commission have had their policies entangled with the agendas of the ruling elites. Development policies are thus shaped with a view to maintain the status quo, compromising the rights and democracy of local citizens. This book raises the question: to what extent are foreign aid programmes actually perpetuating authoritarian rule? On 9 May 2016, the Rift Valley Forum hosted the launch of Aid and Authoritarianism in Africa, edited by Tobias Hagmann and Filip Reyntjens. The book highlights the political and moral complexities that emerge from the relationship between foreign aid and autocratic governments in Africa. It brings to light changing donor interests and rhetoric, as well as the impact of foreign aid on military assistance, rural development, electoral processes and domestic politics in Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Cameroon, Mozambique

Maxamed Xuseen Geeldoon waa 27 sano jir, dhowr jeer isku dayey inuu u tahriibo Yurub balse ku guuldarraystay. Dhibaato, rafaad badan iyo sannado badan oo ka lumay cimirigiisa ka dib, waxaa uu dib ugu soo laabtay Somaliland isaga oo go’aansaday inuu dhalinyarada ka waaniyo halisaha tahriibka. Maxamed waxa taariikhdiisa tahriibka oo loogu magacdaray “ Carrada ayaan dhunkanay” ka qoray Machadka Caalamiga ah ee Dooxada Rift buuggaasi oo maanta la daabacay. Haddaba Sahra Ciidle Nuur ayuu uga warramay dhibaatada uu kala kulmay tahriibka. Source: http://www.voasomali.com/a/3531450.html?nocache=1

This is an interview by Radio Okapi with Judith Verweijen and Emery Mudinga following the Rift Valley Forum and the Political Settlements Research Programme (PSRP) panel discussion in Goma on 20 September 2016. The discussion aimed to answer questions surrounding the recent fragmentation of the armed group landscape in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo; the effects of armed group presence on local governance; and the influence of local authorities and local conflicts influence on armed mobilization. The panel provided an opportunity to present the research conclusions of the second phase of the RVI Usalama Project launched in 2015. Entitled ‘Governance in Conflict’, this phase examined the relationship between armed groups and local governance in the eastern Congo.

In July 2011, South Sudan gained independence and became the world’s newest country. Yet just two-and-a-half years after this momentous decision, the country was in the grips of renewed civil war and political strife. On 8 July 2016, the Rift Valley Institute and the Norwegian Embassy launched South Sudan: The Untold Story from Independence to Civil War, by Hilde F. Johnson. This book, based on the author's experience as a Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan from July 2011 until July 2014, provides an unparalleled insider’s account of South Sudan’s descent from the celebrations of July 2011 to the outbreak of the conflict in December 2013 and the early phase of the fighting. Johnson’s access to contacts at the highest levels of government, accompanied by her knowledge of the country and its history, make this a unique eyewitness account of the turbulent first three years of the world’s newest—and yet most fragile—country.

On 10 August 2016, the Rift Valley Forum in collaboration with the KBC English Service hosted Chuma Nwokolo at the launch of his book How to spell Naija Vol.2. Chuma Nwokolo is the author of ten books and one of Nigeria’s most prolific writers. His latest completes the collection How to spell Naija in 100 short stories. Set in the present and future, in the diaspora, in urban and small-town Nigeria, and in the author's fictional Waterside community, the stories tackle serious issues of corruption and citizen responsibility with wit and charm, and a caste of characters that include kidnappers, houseboys, bishops and suicide bombers.

On Tuesday 10 May 2016, the Rift Valley Forum together with the Political Settlements Research Programme (PRSP), hosted the launch of a report by Tobias Hagmann on Stabilization in Somalia. Download report: www.riftvalley.net/publication/stabilization-extraversion-and-political-settlements-somalia This report highlights the role of external aid in dysfunctional state building efforts in Somalia. Rather than assuming that foreign actors are outside the local, national and political settlements, such actors should rather be seen as an integral part of these processes. Consequently, the power and interests of both Somali and international actors must be taken into consideration in order to understand the shortcomings of stabilization policies. The author of the report presented its findings followed by a discussion on the current efforts of state building in Somalia, lessons learnt from past efforts and what needs to be done locally and internationally to ensure a successful process of state building in Somal

On Friday 15 January 2016, the Rift Valley Forum hosted Gérard Prunier for the Nairobi launch of the book Understanding Contemporary Ethiopia: Monarchy, Revolution and the Legacy of Meles Zenawi, co-edited by Prunier and Éloi Ficquet. This anthology of essays by noted scholars of Ethiopia's culture, history, politics, and society seeks to transcend the clichés of suffering and visions of a past empire that often colour perspectives on the country. This book presents a measured, detailed and systematic analysis of the powerful forces that have rapidly transformed Ethiopia into a regional power. RVI Fellow Gérard Prunier is a historian and author of The Rwanda Crisis: History of a Genocide and of Darfur: The Ambiguous Genocide.

The Nairobi Forum, in collaboration with Kwani? and Storymoja, brought Ugandan writer Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi—whose novel Kintu won the 2013 Kwani? Manuscript Prize—together with Zambian writer and 2015 Caine prize winner, Namwalli Serpell, and Nigerian author and editor, Emmanuel Iduma, for a discussion on historical research and the uses of history in fiction writing. Ngala Chome chaired the event, which took place at the 2015 Storymoja Festival, at the Nairobi National Arboretum. The Nairobi Forum is a sponsor of Storymoja 2015.

On Friday 18 September 2015, the Nairobi Forum hosted Ugandan writer Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, whose novel Kintu won the 2013 Kwani? Manuscript Prize. The novel follows the adventures of Kintu Kidda and generations of his heirs, telling the story of a family and a nation contending with the burdens of the colonial past while seeking to reconcile tradition with the modern world. Jennifer was joined by Tom Odhiambo, Lecturer in Literature at the University of Nairobi, for a conversation about history, culture and the resurgence of kingdoms in Ugandan politics.

On Saturday 9th May, the Nairobi Forum hosted an evening with renowned Somali author Nuruddin Farah at the offices of the Rift Valley Institute. Nuruddin spoke about Somali cultural losses in the civil war. Nuruddin is the winner of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the Lettre Ulysses Award, and has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times. His body of work includes two trilogies, Variations on the Theme of an African Dictatorship (1980) and Blood in the Sun (1986). His most recent novel, Crossbones, was published in 2011.

This podcast, made during the 2014 Book Fair, records a conversation between the poet Jack Mapanje and Dr Adan Abokor about their experiences of being imprisoned under the former authoritarian governments in Malawi and Somalia, respectively. They explain how while isolated in their prison cells they developed secret languages that enabled them to communicate with fellow prisoners and to sustain their minds and their spirits. The interview was conducted by Elizabeth Spackman.