Stabilizing Somalia, South Sudan and the DRC

The Rift Valley Institute published in 2016 conference proceedings titled "Stabilization in Eastern and Central Africa: Insights from Somalia, South Sudan and the DRC."

The objective of the conference was to question, review, evaluate and exchange lessons on stabilization programs in the DRC, Somalia and South Sudan with the aim of informing policies that enhance peace and security in eastern and central Africa. This report contains the highlights from this gathering.

South Sudan: Is Peace Possible?

The Rift Valley Institute in Nairobi hosted on 10 January 2014 a discussion of the situation in South Sudan with civil society representatives.  A summary of the discussion has been published as "South Sudan: Is Peace Possible?" 

Views on South Sudan's Constitution

As part of the Juba University Lecture Series 2013, the Rift Valley Institute published "My Mother Will Not Come to Juba: South Sudanese Debate the Constitution."  The discussion features leading public figures, including the Chair of the Constitutional Review Commission, government ministers, legal experts, civil society activists and representatives of women's groups.  The focus is on key aspects of the constitution-making process.

Rethinking State-building in Somalia

The Rift Valley Institute published a summary of a forum it held in Nairobi on 6 December 2012 titled Rethinking State-building in Somalia: Negotiated Statehood and the Realities of Hybrid Governance.

The key points are:
--The concept of a hybrid political order is useful in understanding post-conflict state formation, in the Horn of Africa and elsewhere.
--For policy-makers supporting the reestablishment of government institutions in Somalia, the example of Somaliland is instructive.
--Hybrid political orders are not an alternative model for state-building; they are the outcome of a process of negotiated statehood and a reality to acknowledge and work with.
--State-building is not simply a legal and technical undertaking but a process of negotiation that occurs in an acutely political context.
--In Somaliland, the role of elders in relation to the state has changed: the authority of the House of Elders has diminished as formal institutions of the state have become more established and powerful.

"Somali Spring" Podcast

The Rift Valley Institute's website contains a 44 minute podcast that features the highlights of an 11 October 2012 discussion with Kenneth Menkhaus, Jabril Abdulle, Amal Ismail, and Matt Bryden. The panelists discussed current developments in Somalia and the country's prospects following the election of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Click here to access the podcast.