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.

Sudan's Conflict Expands to Port Sudan

 The Middle East Eye published on 19 September 2023 an article titled "Port Sudan: Army and Beja Fighters Face Off in Burhan Stronghold" by Mohammed Amin.

Aljazeera published on 21 September 2023 an article titled "Analysis: Port Sudan Fighting Reflects Tribal-army Tensions" by Mat Nashed.  

Eastern Sudan has supported the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan since the outbreak of conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).  The region has generally avoided the conflict facing the rest of Sudan.  In fact, Port Sudan has become the de facto capital for the SAF and the center for sending relief supplies to the rest of the country.  

An incident between the SAF and a local ethnic leader's militia this week in Port Sudan has raised questions about stability in eastern Sudan and the alliance between local ethnic groups, especially the Beja, and the SAF.  This does not mean the Beja and other ethnic groups are switching support to the RSF, but it does pose a challenge for the SAF if handled badly.  

Impact of Chinese Infrastructure Projects in Africa and Southeast Asia

 The South African Institute of International Affairs just released a major report dated May 2023 titled "Comparing Environmental, Social and Governance Impacts of Chinese-led Infrastructure Projects in Africa and Southeast Asia" by Cobus van Staden and others.  

The report provides cross-cutting perspectives on environmental, social, and governance aspects of Chinese-led infrastructure projects in Africa and Southeast Asia.  It identifies the following areas of concern: tender and environmental impact assessment processes; land acquisition, community relocation processes and livelihood disruptions; debt transparency and problematic financial governance; inter-authority conflict and local governance issues in recipient countries; and planning for long-term economic viability and job creation.  

Appeal for End of Ethnic Federalism in Ethiopia

 Ethiopia Insight published on 16 May 2022 a commentary titled "To Achieve Sustainable Peace in Ethiopia, Ethnic Federalism Must Be Replaced" by Kassahun Melesse, Oregon State University.

Resolving conflicting land claims in western Tigray between Amhara and Tigrayans is essential to a sustainable peace in Ethiopia.  The author argues that this and other ethnic land disputes can only be resolved if Ethiopia moves away from ethnic federalism and creates a federal system where minority rights are protected and citizens enjoy the same rights in all regional states where they reside.  

Land Conflict in Somalia

 The Rift Valley Institute and the Somalia Stability Fund published a major study in December 2021 titled "Land Conflict in Somalia."

Land conflict in Somalia is shaped by--and has shaped--the historical trajectory of the country.  In particular, the land management and agricultural development policies of the Siad Barre regime continue to influence some of the current dynamics of land conflict in Somalia.

A critical challenge in designing an appropriate framework for land conflict transformation in Somalia is the system of legal pluralism that currently characterizes land governance and management.

Somalia, Food Security, and Climate Change

 The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies published in November 2021 a study titled "Prospects of Food Security in Somalia under Looming Climate Changes" by Abdirashid Elmi.

The report provides an assessment of food security challenges in Somalia in the face of climate extremes.  Somalia has warmed faster than the global average.  Alternating droughts and floods have intensified, causing more households to face the risk of becoming food insecure.  Climate change is predicted to adversely affect agricultural yields in Somalia where crop production relies heavily on environmental factors such as rainfall and temperature.  There is an interdependent relationship between food production and climate change.

Will AU Try to End the War In Ethiopia?

 Ethiopia Insight published on 25 July 2021 a commentary titled "The African Union Must Intervene to Stop the War in Ethiopia" by Fasil Hailu, a pen name for a regular Ethiopia Insight columnist.

The author noted that while the US and EU have tried to end the war in Tigray, the AU has, so far, done nothing.  It is time for the AU to step forward and engage actively in an effort to end the conflict.  

Relations between Ethiopian State and Private Chinese Firms

 The United Nations University published in July 2021 a working paper titled "The Dynamics of State-Business Relations between the Ethiopian State and Chinese Private Firms: A Case Study of the Eastern Industry Park" by Weiwei Chen.  

The paper argues that institutions led by Chinese government agencies serve only limited purposes and are led by the interests of certain kinds of firms, and that private firms tend to locally improvise and create their own bargaining mechanisms, even when the Chinese state has built official channels for bargaining.  They do not fit a simple "win-win" narrative.

Ethiopia: Investigative Report on Ethnic Killings at Mai Kadra

 Reuters published on 7 June 2021 a lengthy investigative report titled "How Ethnic Killings Exploded from an Ethiopian Town" by Katharine Houreld, Michael Georgy, and Silvia Aloisi.  

This is an account of the ethnic violence that took place in mid-November 2020 at and around Mai Kadra in western Tigray Region.  The authors conclude there were two rounds of ethnic killings.  The first round was carried out by ethnic Tigrayans against Amhara who were living in Mai Kadra.  The second round constituted revenge killings of Tigrayans by Amhara.

Ethnic Killings in Ethiopia's Benishangul-Gumuz Region

 Ethiopia Insight posted on 29 December 2020 a commentary titled "The Murky Politics behind the Metekel Massacres" by Tsegaye Birhanu, from Benishangul-Gumuz Region and now a student at Linnaeus University in Sweden.  

On 23 December 2020, an armed Gumuz group slaughtered 207 persons based on their light skin color in Ethiopia's Benishangul-Gumuz region bordering Sudan.  The commentary discusses the complex reasons behind the ethnic attacks.  

Chinese Agricultural Projects in Uganda

The Christian Science Monitor published on 10 September 2019 an article titled "Big Promises, Few Results: Chinese Farms Falter in Uganda" by Peter Ford.

The article discusses two largely failed Chinese agricultural investments in Uganda. It also argues that the majority of big Chinese agricultural projects in Africa have not lived up to expectations.

Ethiopia: Protest Movement in Tigray Region

African Arguments published on 21 May 2019 a commentary titled "Ethiopia: The Challenge to the TPLF. . . From Tigray's Own Grassroots" by Getchew Gebrekiros Temare.

A growing protest movement in Tigray Region is reportedly putting increasing pressure on the ruling Tigrayan People's Liberation Front.

Ethiopia: Gambellan Solutions for Gambellan Problems

Ethiopia Insight posted on 17 April 2019 a commentary titled "Gambellan Solutions for Gambellan Problems" by Okello Miru, field coordinator for the Carter Center in Gambella.

The author argues that the residents of Gambella need more access to loans from the Development Bank of Ethiopia to develop the agricultural land in Gambella and to compete with large, foreign agricultural projects.

Ethiopia: Regional Land Disputes Add to Displaced Persons

Ethiopia Insight published on 8 March 2019 an analysis titled "Benishangul Conflict Spurred by Investment, Land Titling, Rumors" by Mehdi Labzae, French Center for Ethiopian Studies.

A land dispute involving the Gumuz and Oromo people in western Ethiopia has resulted in the displacement of more than 150,000 persons, mostly Oromo. A donor-sponsored land registration program and agricultural investment contributed to the conflict.

Ethiopia and Internally Displaced Persons

Refugees International published in November 2018 a report titled "The Crisis Below the Headlines: Conflict Displacement in Ethiopia" by Mark Yarnell.

The author looks at the situation concerning internally displaced persons along the internal border of Oromia and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) and makes recommendations for addressing the crisis.

Micro Study on Power in a South Sudanese Village

The Rift Valley Institute published in 2018 a micro study titled "Wartime Trade and Reshaping of Power in South Sudan: Learning from the Market of Mayen Rual" by Naomi Pendle, London School of Economics, and Chirrilo Madut Anei, South Sudanese researcher.

This study looks at the capture and co-opting of wartime trade in the village of Mayen Rual and the contemporary conflict in the village of Nyinakook in former Warrap state.

Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Dispute and the Irob People

The Irob Global Diaspora, which speaks for the Irob people who live along the Ethiopia-Eritrea border, recently posted a statement titled "The Right to Exist."

While the Irob disapora supports the recent initiative by Ethiopia to resolve the border dispute with Eritrea, it urges that both governments take into account the concerns of the Irob people who live along the border and would be most directly affected by any transfer of land from one country to another.

Opening Up Northeast Kenya

African Arguments posted on 27 June 2018 an article titled "LAPSSET: Will a New Highway Open Up the Long-neglected Garissa?" by Nick Young.

A major road from Lamu Port on the Kenyan coast to Garissa in the Somali inhabited section of Kenya is part of the $25 billion Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia (LAPSSET) project. This article looks at the economic, social, and security aspects of the road project.

The Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway

The Guardian published on 14 May 2018 an article titled "In Ethiopia's Bushlands, Promised Riches of a Railway Boom Turn to Dust" by Tom Gardner, Addis Ababa correspondent for The Economist, and Charlie Rosser, filmmaker and photographer.

China financed and built the standard guage railway between Addis Ababa and Djibouti. The Chinese Railway Construction Corporation hired more than 20,000 Ethiopians and 5,000 Djiboutians during the construction process. China will manage the railway for 5 years. Ethiopia and Djibouti are expected to repay China for the cost of the original loan and management contract. The authors conclude the lesson of the railway is that top-down development breeds special resentment when grand promises are perceived to have been broken.

Somali-Oromo Clashes in Ethiopia

The Institute for Defense Analyses Africa Watch published on 21 December 2017 a brief analysis titled "What Does Unrest in Oromia Signify?" by Stephanie Burchard.

The author comments on ethnic clashes between Somalis and Oromos in northern Oromia. Traditionally, conflict between these two ethnic groups has been attributed to access to land and scarce resources.