The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute published in December 2021 a study titled "Water Cooperation in the Horn of Africa: Addressing Drivers of Conflict and Strengthening Resilience" by Kyungmee Kim, Emilie Broek, Elizabeth S. Smith, David Michel, Erwin de Nys, and Nicolas Salazar Godoy.
Climate stress and violent conflict have led to increased social vulnerability and political fragility in the Horn of Africa, which in turn affects the region's prospects for adapting to changing environmental conditions. This report explores the role of local level cooperative initiatives for improving water challenges in the Horn of Africa.
It looks at three case studies: the Sio-Malaba-Malakishi Basin shared among Kenya, Uganda and part of the Upper Nile Basin; the Dawa River and Aquifer involving the cross-border communities in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia; and the Bahr el Ghazal Basin and the Bagara Basin Aquifer shared between Sudan and South Sudan.
The report highlights promising prospects for strengthening the linkages between intergovernmental processes and local community engagement.
