Episodes
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What does six years of cross-border research reveal about conflict, governance, and resilience in the Horn of Africa?
In this first episode of the Beyond Series, hosted by Rift Valley Radio, Jason Mosley ( RVI's Senior Manager for Publications and Information) speaks with Hannah Stogdon (Senior Horn of Africa Programme Manager at XCEPT) and Joel Odiwuor Otieno (RVI's Programme Manager for XCEPT) about the legacies of the XCEPT programme.
Together, they reflect on what the research uncovered, the impact of the cross-border local research network, and what it will take to sustain momentum in the years ahead.
This episode marks the beginning of a six-part series exploring the themes, partnerships and insights that have shaped XCEPT’s work across East Africa and beyond. -
Continuing from the forum on 27 May 2024, this second part of the forum recording features Kiden Sawala Laki’s report, “Beyond the Surface,” on women’s participation in fishing markets in Bor, and Catherine Iilwa Robert’s insights on wildlife tourism in Eastern Equatoria State. Concluding with reflections and closing remarks from Manasseh Mathiang and Professor Tom Odhiambo, this session underscores the impact of women’s research in South Sudan. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, make sure to check it out for the full context.
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Missing episodes?
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On Monday, 27 May 2024, the South Sudan Women’s Research Network (SSWRN), supported by the European Union, held a forum to discuss research by early career researchers. In this first part, hear introductions by Amina Abdulkadir, Mark Bradbury, and Geoffrey Lugano, followed by Agau Bul Deng’s exploration of oral history and women’s roles in peace engagement in Bor, and Julia Jadalla Jube’s findings on conflict in the Pibor Administrative Area. Engage in the discussions and Q&A segment from the event. Be sure to check out Part 2 for more insights and research findings.
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In this episode of Rift Valley Radio, brought to you by the Rift Valley Institute, Catherine Patrick from the South Sudan Women’s Research Network (SSWRN) engages in a compelling discussion with Mary Adut Achiek, an early career researcher from the first SSWRN cohort. Mary shares her research on the historical and evolving roles of women in traditional leadership within the Jieng community of Tonj, Warrap State, South Sudan.
Mary’s study reveals how women, despite facing significant barriers, have historically held key positions that influence peace and governance. She highlights notable female leaders such as Mary Nyibol Arou and Atur Mack Machok, who have broken barriers and demonstrated the potential for inclusive leadership structures. The discussion touches on the societal challenges women face, the impact of traditional norms, and the necessary policy reforms to enhance women’s leadership in South Sudan. -
Hamdi Ali explains the pivotal role of the blue economy in addressing climate challenges in Somaliland. This episode delves into sustainable practices in fisheries, aquaculture, and maritime transportation, exploring how they help mitigate climate impacts while strengthening economic and environmental stability. Hamdi shares valuable insights from her research, including the challenges and opportunities at the Maydh Port, and discusses the critical actions required by policymakers to maximize the blue economy's potential.
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Explore the intricate dynamics of climate resilience in this podcast episode featuring Oricia Ngenyibungi, an early career researcher from the Democratic Republic of Congo. This episode focuses on the unique challenges faced by urban-based refugee women under the pressures of climate change. Oricia shares her findings on the adaptations and struggles of refugee women dealing with climate variability in Eastern Africa. Her research stresses the importance of incorporating marginalized voices in climate change dialogues and policymaking. This episode not only sheds light on the adversities but also celebrates the resilience and determination of women who confront daily challenges yet remain committed to fostering a sustainable future.
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South Sudanese women researchers and academics face widespread misogyny and barriers to access, financial and workplace inequality, sexual harassment and specific risks of violence across the research sector. In this podcast, a group of junior and senior academics and freelance researchers discuss the connected challenges women face in South Sudan’s research industry. The discussion highlights the personal and professional difficulties of gaining space and recognition in the academic and research community; the gendered roles and risks of research for South Sudanese women; endemic sexual harassment and structural barriers to research careers for women, including a lack of fieldwork insurance and equal contracting; and the need for South Sudanese women to set their own research agendas.
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South Sudan’s research industry is small, but it supports a large national and international humanitarian and development sector. Fieldwork is mostly conducted by contracted South Sudanese researchers, who often work under intense pressures and time constraints, in difficult and dangerous conditions, on projects that they have not themselves designed. The country’s own research infrastructure is very limited: South Sudan’s five public and dozen private universities are stretched to the limit with high student numbers and financial challenges.
This podcast records the reflections of a group of South Sudanese academics, early-career researchers, independent research consultants, research assistants and professors who gathered in Juba in August 2022 to set out ethical principles and standards for this research sector. In this podcast, each participant summarises their personal key message for ethical research practice in South Sudan: including better transparency, fair pay and safety provisions, investments in research infrastructure, and building career paths. -
In this podcast, hosted by Hannah Stogdon of the Rift Valley Institute (RVI), we delve into the intricate web of roadblocks, checkpoints, and their pivotal role in the political economy of cross-border trade and conflict in Somalia. Our guests, Peer Schouten, Abdirahman Edle, and Jamal Mohamed, share fresh evidence and invaluable insights from their research on key trade routes in South Central Somalia.
These roadblocks, often overlooked in the broader narrative, are fundamental nodes in the complex network of actors shaping trade networks and political projects in the Somali territories. While we have substantive evidence of their significance for groups like Al-Shabaab, we will explore the lesser-known checkpoints operated by various actors and their impact on the region.
This podcast is produced by the Rift Valley Institute (RVI) as part of the FCDO's Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy, and Trends (XCEPT) Program, a consortium initiative funded by UK Aid. XCEPT brings together leading experts to examine how conflicts connect across borders and the factors that influence both violent and peaceful behavior in conflict-affected borderlands. -
The 'Local Governance in Somalia' RVI podcast discusses devolution of power in Somalia in the context of rapid urbanisation. The podcast reflects on the 2021 World Bank Review, which aims to facilitate a more informed dialogue between the government, private sector, civil society, development partners and other stakeholders on a more comprehensive urban development strategy in Somalia.
In the 3rd episode, Horn of Africa Programme Manager at the Rift Valley Institute- Hannah Stogdon- speaks with Dr. Ken Menkhaus, professor of Political Science at Davidson College, Horn of Africa and Land Urbanisation specialist working on local governance, service delivery, and forced displacement. The podcast also hosts Makiko Watanabe, a Senior Urban Specialist working on local governance, service delivery, and forced displacement and Dr. Olivia D’Aoust who is a senior urban economist working on issues related to the economics of urbanisation, territorial development, and conflict and fragility. -
The RVI education programme aims to inform influential constituencies working in eastern and central Africa about the people and communities in the countries where they work. It consists of 2 main types of trainings; the Annual Field Courses on Sudan and South Sudan, the Horn of Africa, and the Great Lakes; and bespoke courses tailored for a variety of international organisations.
These courses provide a basis for an understanding of current political and developmental challenges within the countries or regions in question.
Watch the trailer for more information on our training programme and be on the lookout for new courses on our newsletter, social media platforms and website.
You can also reach out by email at [email protected]. -
'Land in Somalia' RVI podcast discusses land governance in Somalia in the context of rapid urbanisation. It looks at cities where both opportunities and challenges for Somalia’s development and prosperity are most acutely felt. The experts debate how to manage and reduce the risks Somali cities face so that they can increase their potential to provide livelihoods and deliver services in a way that is more inclusive and accessible for all.
In the second episode,Horn of Africa Programme Manager at the Rift Valley Institute- Hannah Stogdon hosts World Bank Land Administration specialist Paul Prettitore and co-lead of the Land and Conflict Working Group and is conducting research on the relationships between land, conflict and inclusion. Prior to joining the Bank, Paul was a
Human Rights Advisor and Property Law Coordinator at the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The podcast discusses the 2021 World Bank Review on Urbanisation in Somalia with the aim of facilitating a more informed dialogue between the government, private sector, civil society, development partners and
other stakeholders on the role of land governance in a more comprehensive urban development strategy in Somalia. -
This RVI podcast discusses Governance in Somalia in the context of rapid urbanisation. It looks at cities where both opportunities and challenges for Somalia’s development and prosperity are most acutely felt. The experts debate how to manage and reduce the risks
Somali cities face so that they can increase their potential to provide livelihoods and deliver services in a way that is more inclusive and accessible for all.
In this first episode of two, Horn of Africa Programme Manager at the Rift Valley Institute- Hannah Stogdon talks to Horn of Africa expert Tobias Hagmann who is the Director of Public Culture Lab Ltd in Switzerland and an associate professor in development studies at Roskilde University in Denmarks. He was the Lead Researcher for the RVI study on Urbanisation in 7 Somali cities that contributed to the World Bank’s Urbanisation Review. -
Over the past two decades, the Horn and Eastern Africa Region have witnessed a proliferation of peace-making and peace-building processes as a means of democratisation. A wealth and power sharing governance arrangements designed and upheld by regional and international institutions often saw the transfer of political decision-making away from the local and national level, consolidating them instead in the hands of belligerent elites and a global technocratic class of experts. How have these forms of international diplomatic interventions shaped prospects for peace and democratisation in the region?
Sharath Srinivasan’s When Peace Kills Politics: International Intervention and Unending Wars in the Sudans (Hurst/OUP, 2021) provides a refreshing appraisal of the theory and practice of peace-making by drawing attention to its inherent contradictions that contain risks of violent failure. The book launch engaged the history of interrelated peace-making efforts and their failures in Sudan and South Sudan, from the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement to the more recent Juba Peace Agreement signed in 2020, and their potential to subvert non-violent civic politics.
The book launch was co-hosted and organised jointly by RVI and the International African Institute and supported by Hurst publishers -
Over the past year, countries across the East Africa region have held elections to elect leaders at various levels. These polls have been accompanied by complaints over irregularities, violence and a general lack of credibility. In Uganda and Tanzania, disputed polls and allegations of rigging by incumbents were followed by brutal crackdowns on democratic freedoms. In Ethiopia, despite the AU’s election observer mission declaring the twice-postponed election “orderly, peaceful and credible”, a fifth of the country failed to take part in voting owing to an opposition boycott, war and insecurity, and logistical problems. Somalia’s failure to hold long- delayed indirect elections has endangered its fragile peace. While in Somaliland-despite urban low voter turnout and ballot tampering in the rural areas, the long delayed parliamentary and local council elections were smoothly run leading to a surprise loss to the ruling party and a peaceful transfer of power. Still, harassment of opposition candidates during campaigns - and women exclusion remain a feature of the electoral process. All this begs the question; Are elections in East Africa a democratising force or a flashpoint for violence?
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Over the past year, countries across the East Africa region have held elections to elect leaders at various levels. These polls have been accompanied by complaints over irregularities, violence and a general lack of credibility. In Uganda and Tanzania, disputed polls and allegations of rigging by incumbents were followed by brutal crackdowns on democratic freedoms. In Ethiopia, despite the AU’s election observer mission declaring the twice-postponed election “orderly, peaceful and credible”, a fifth of the country failed to take part in voting owing to an opposition boycott, war and insecurity, and logistical problems. Somalia’s failure to hold long- delayed indirect elections has endangered its fragile peace. While in Somaliland-despite urban low voter turnout and ballot tampering in the rural areas, the long delayed parliamentary and local council elections were smoothly run leading to a surprise loss to the ruling party and a peaceful transfer of power. Still, harassment of opposition candidates during campaigns - and women exclusion remain a feature of the electoral process. All this begs the question; Are elections in East Africa a democratising force or a flashpoint for violence?
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Professor Munzoul, Dean of Scientific Enquiry at Khartoum university explores to what degree has electoral management and the role of the National Elections Council (NEC) determined the success and quality of elections? and moving forward in the post revolution period, should the 2024 projected elections rely on the existing network of experienced administrators or aim to create a new generation?
In Debate with
Professor Justin- Durham University on how electoral politics actually work i.e how campaigns are run, how different grassroots politics have actually been between liberal election like 1986 and the NCP's elections i,e are there similarities? T -
In this audio series we discuss, among other things, election models adopted in Sudan's modern history. It will also discuss the key choices available for policymakers who are involved in election design.
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