Fighting Climate Change in Somalia's Conflict Zones

 The International Crisis Group published on 10 December 2024 a study titled "Fighting Climate Change in Somalia's Conflict Zones."

Somalia experienced a prolonged, extreme drought between 2020 and 2023 that caused a humanitarian emergency and fueled conflict with the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab.  Local resentment of the group's harsh methods during severe water shortages eventually led to a military offensive that put the insurgents on the back foot.

In Somalia, climate change and conflict are increasingly intertwined.  Al-Shabaab uses access to water and other natural resources to levy taxes on herders and farmers, as well as to punish communities that resist its control.  But it has also proven persuadable by social pressure during climate shocks.

Displacement of South Sudanese

Refugees International published on 12 March 2015 a report titled "South Sudan: A Nation Uprooted" by Michael Boyce and Mark Yarnell.  It reports that since December 2013, the conflict in South Sudan has forced 2 million people from their homes.

Sudan: South Kordofan Needs Assessment

The Enough Project published on 20 November 2014 a report titled "Life under Siege: South Kordofan Needs Assessment."  The study was conducted in August 2014 by anonymous researchers with access to rebel-held parts of Sudan's South Kordofan state.

Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Army-North (SPLA-N) have been in armed conflict in Sudan's South Kordofan state for more than three years.  The assessment provides a picture of the humanitarian needs in South Kordofan. 

South Sudan: A Civil War by Any Other Name

The International Crisis Group (ICG) published on 10 April 2014 a comprehensive analysis titled "South Sudan: A Civil War by Any Other Name." 

Although the dispute within the SPLM that led to the conflict was primarily political, ethnic targeting, communal mobilization and spiraling violence quickly led to appalling levels of brutality against civilians, including deliberate killings inside churches and hospitals.

ICG argues that propping up the government in Juba and polishing its legitimacy with a dose of political dialogue and a dash of power sharing will not end the conflict.  New constituencies have to be admitted to a national dialogue and their perspectives respected, including armed groups and disaffected communities that go beyond the contending forces within the SPLM/A, as well as women and civil society more generally.