Armed violence and poverty in Northern Kenya: a mini case study for the Armed Violence and Poverty Initiative

YesThis report on Northern Kenya is one of 13 case studies (all of which can be found at www.bradford.ac.uk/cics). This research draws upon secondary data sources including existing research studies, reports and evaluations commissioned by operational agencies, and early warning and survey data where this has been available. These secondary sources have been complemented by interviews with government officers, aid policymakers and practitioners, researchers and members of the local population. The authors would like to thank Patta Scott-Villiers for comments on an earlier draft. The analysis and opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or policy of DFID or the UK government

A New Deal? Development and Security in a Changing World

Development policy and practice in fragile and conflict-affected areas needs to be rethought. A growing proportion of aid budgets is going to fragile and conflict-affected states and conflict prevention is becoming an important focus of aid spend even in countries that are not affected by widespread violence. Thus, there is a rationale for development and security being increasingly brought together. The issue is how to do this most effectively to promote the security of the poor. While development in violent environments is very different from development in stable and peaceful areas, the same is true for security. One of the key differences is the fragmentation of power and authority which makes it more difficult for outsiders to operate. Development stakeholders need to invest more in understanding local realities, politics and power. This report proposes a ‘new deal’ based on concepts of entrustment and brokerage to help them do so.DfI

Humanitarianism and Religious Inequalities: Addressing a Blind Spot

Religious identity is critically important to consider in assessing patterns of displacement and the dynamics of conflict and peace-building, as well as programmatic and policy responses to humanitarian crises. Conflicts are frequently driven by discrimination and generate massive numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) as they flee from persecution and violence, whilst individuals or groups may be targeted for their identity or face insecurity during community activities. As a result, the relationship between diversity, inclusivity, and interdependence is key to developing approaches that address intersecting forms of insecurity experienced by religious minorities. This paper reviews current thinking and policy directions in understanding religious inequalities in humanitarian contexts and asks the following questions: 1) What are the implications of programming that is blind to religious inequalities? 2) How can humanitarian actors incorporate sensitivity to religious difference and persecution in their programming, and what are the challenges of doing so?Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO

Introduction: Security in the Vernacular and Peacebuilding at the Margins; Rethinking Violence Reduction

This article introduces a Peacebuilding special issue on rethinking security, peacebuilding and violence reduction in the light of Sustainable Development Goal 16 on ‘promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development’. The special issue presents new analysis and case studies, which aim to challenge and refresh the established policy consensus around violence reduction and security. They are distinctive in focusing upon the vernacular or local understandings of those at the receiving end of direct and structural violence; and in analysing the insurgent margins where violence and insecurity are most concentrated

Beyond the New Deal: Global Collaboration and Peacebuilding with BRICS Countries

Development in fragile and conflict-affected contexts is both complex and contested. The New Deal for Engagement with Fragile States, endorsed by 35 countries and six organisations, is the current focus of efforts to harmonise aid approaches. Yet, BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are charting their own individual approaches for promoting development and peacebuilding in conflict-affected states. This policy brief examines opportunities for Western donors to deepen collaboration with BRICS countries, and suggests that focusing on peacebuilding, aligning financial assistance in post-conflict reconstruction, and furthering cooperation in peacekeeping are all entry points to extend cooperation beyond the New Deal.UK Department for International Developmen

Building Peace in the New Oil Frontiers of Northern Kenya

Since the discovery of oil five years ago in Northern Kenya, explorations have spread to more than 30 drilling and testing sites. This has brought foreign investment, and in turn, new work opportunities, corporate social investment in schools and health clinics, and options for personal enrichment through contracts and tenders. In an area long inhabited by pastoralists, this rapid development has created tensions, resistance, and conflict around both access to new opportunities and also the impacts on lives and livelihoods. The Institute of Development Studies (IDS), UK and the Centre for Human Rights and Policy Studies, Kenya, as well as a team of researchers from Turkana County in Kenya have worked closely with big businesses, advocacy organisations, and communities to understand and balance out the interests at play. They have enabled the different parties to navigate a peaceful and sensitive process and this will be key to informing future plans for oil development.ESRC-DFI

Churning Waters: Strategic Shifts in the Nile Basin

The diplomatic rift between Ethiopia and Egypt over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’s (GERD) construction shines an important light on how a wider re-balancing of power is occurring within the Nile Basin. This briefing considers the impact of these shifts on broader development in the region and the possible diplomatic and developmental scenarios that could emerge as construction progresses.DFI

‘Killing a Mosquito with a Hammer’: Al-Shabaab Violence and State Security Responses in Kenya

Networked, transnational forms of violence pose a significant threat to peace and security in a number of sub-Saharan African countries. In recent years, Kenya has witnessed an expanding number of attacks involving Al-Shabaab – the Somali-based militant organisation. Kenya’s state responses to these attacks derive from a social construction of Somalis as a threatening presence, justifying a raft of hard security measures. However, this targeting has been counter-productive by driving a deeper wedge between Somalis, other Muslims and the state, and levels of Al-Shabaab violence have remained high. Seen from the social and political margins that Kenya’s Somali and Muslim populations occupy, recent violence continues a long-standing dynamic of insecurity in which the state itself is a central actor. Internal stress relating to state-led planning of social order built on unequal citizenships and the use of violence, enmesh with the external threat of Al-Shabaab, producing the conditions for insurgency and violence to spread. Reducing violence and building peace require greater understanding of how violence and security are seen and experienced at the margins