Maritime Crime off the Horn of Africa

The University of Copenhagen Centre for Military Studies published in September 2018 a major study titled "Navigating Changing Currents: A Forward-looking Evaluation of Efforts To Tackle Maritime Crime Off the the Horn of Africa" by Katja Lindskov-Jacobsen and Julie Hoy-Carrasco.

The report notes that pirates in Somalia shifted their focus away from piracy towards more profitable illegal maritime activities such human trafficking and weapons smuggling. The authors argue this new situation calls for interventions aimed at building stability through countering maritime crime that is equally agile and/or comprehensive both in terms of the types of crime being targeted and the geographical scope.

Improving Security in the Western Indian Ocean

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) published on 23 May 2018 an analysis titled "From Djibouti to Jeddah, the Western Indian Ocean Needs Security" by Christian Bueger, Cardiff University, and Timothy Walker, ISS.

Twenty littoral countries in southern and eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula adopted in 2009 the original Djibouti Code of Conduct that deals with maritime security threats. In 2017, they added the Jeddah Amendments. The guidelines now cover piracy, trafficking of arms and narcotics, illegal wildlife trade, illegal oil bunkering and theft, human trafficking and smuggling, and the illegal dumping of toxic waste. The issue now is how to move from declarations of intent to effective action. In addition, three key states--India, Pakistan and Iran--are not members of the amended Djibouti Code of Conduct.

Conflict Across the Ethiopia-South Sudan Border

The Washington-based Wilson Center published in November 2017 a policy brief titled "Mitigating Cross-Border Conflicts along the Ethiopia-South Sudan Border" and a longer study titled "Cross-Border Intergroup Conflicts in the Horn of Africa: A Case Study of Ethiopia-South Sudan Borderland People" both by Tasew Gashaw, Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding Scholar.

The author analyzes the issues facing the people who live along the porous 543-mile long border between Ethiopia and South Sudan. They face cross-border intergroup conflict that is exacerbated by South Sudan's instability, low economic inclusion in Ethiopia, and border insurgents who engage in illicit trade, child abduction, cattle rustling, and arms smuggling.

Smuggling Migrants from the Horn of Africa to Yemen and Saudi Arabia

The Institute for Security Studies published a report dated November 2017 and titled "Migrant Smuggling: Paths from the Horn of Africa to Yemen and Saudi Arabia" by Peter Tinti, independent journalist.

The report examines the smuggling networks facilitating irregular migration from the Horn of Africa to countries in the Arabian Peninsula. In 2016, well over 100,000 irregular arrivals were recorded in Yemen, 83 percent Ethiopians and 17 percent Somalis. Most of them continued to Saudi Arabia seeking work.