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This case study by the Institute for Security Studies describes a scheme where money laundering syndicates stole US COVID-19 relief funds from child nutrition programmes and laundered them through Kenya, Turkey, and Dubai. It highlights significant failures in Kenya's legal framework and enforcement, noting that despite US convictions, no suspects have been prosecuted in Kenya nor have their Kenyan assets been seized.

A briefing by the Institute for Security Studies analyzing a blast in a Nairobi shopping centre and the broader increase in terrorist attacks in Kenya following the 'Linda Nchi' incursion into Somalia.

This briefing from the Institute for Security Studies examines the link between climate change and increasing resource-based violence in Kenya, specifically focusing on conflicts between the Turkana and Samburu communities in the country's driest regions.

This briefing examines the possibility of Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto running for the Kenyan presidency on 4 March 2013 despite ICC indictments for crimes against humanity. It notes that the trial start date is a critical factor, with the defence proposing March of the following year. The text highlights the ICC's stance of non-interference in Kenyan political eligibility and discusses the domestic political tensions and legal challenges surrounding the candidates' eligibility.

A briefing detailing a visit by US and UK envoys to Mogadishu to discuss the end of Somalia's transition period and allegations of corruption within the transitional government, alongside US sanctions and bounty strategies against peace process saboteurs and Al-Shabaab leaders.

This introductory text for Monograph 6, edited by Hussein Solomon, examines the intersection of water scarcity and security, with a specific focus on Southern Africa. It argues that dwindling fresh water resources, coupled with rapid population growth, increase the risk of resource-based conflict, while suggesting that regional cooperation and frameworks like the SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourse Systems offer a path toward stability.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the security and stability challenges facing South Sudan following the 2011 referendum for self-determination, highlighting risks from ethnic rivalry, economic dependency on Khartoum, and the need for security sector reform.

This research paper examines the abuse of power by Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) in Kenya following the 2013 general elections. It argues that MCAs have transitioned from agents of governance to tools of political extortion, leveraging ambiguous impeachment laws and their strategic grassroots position to blackmail county officials and misuse public funds.

This study evaluates the role of traditional and enlightened women's movements in managing electoral crises in Nigeria and Kenya, contrasting informal traditional methods—such as sex strikes and the display of bare breasts by elderly women—against formal, gendered peace processes in African transitional democracies.

This briefing by Max du Plessis analyzes the Kenyan government's efforts to obstruct International Criminal Court (ICC) proceedings regarding the 2007-8 post-election violence. The author argues that Kenya's strategy—seeking a UN Security Council deferral under Article 16 of the Rome Statute—is legally flawed and politically risky, while suggesting a complementary approach where national courts try lower-level perpetrators and the ICC focuses on those with the greatest responsibility.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the failures of government-led rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for defectors from violent extremist groups in Africa, highlighting how human rights abuses and a lack of transparency drive defectors away from state processes and toward civil society or direct community return.

This briefing discusses the political instability and foreign policy of Eritrea, including concerns over President Isaias Afwerki's health and the country's efforts to undermine Ethiopia. It also reports on Kofi Annan's visit to Kenya to assess electoral preparedness for the March 2013 elections.

This research paper examines the emergence of the Sabaot Land Defence Force (SLDF) in Kenya's Mount Elgon region, analyzing how historical land injustices and systemic grievances led to the militianisation of resource conflicts.

This briefing reports on the unrest in Mombasa following the killing of Sheikh Aboud Rogo Mohammed on 27 August 2012, the subsequent violence targeting security forces and churches, and the broader security implications regarding radicalization and upcoming elections in Kenya.

This research paper examines the drivers of radicalisation and recruitment for al-Shabaab in Somalia, based on interviews with former fighters, to inform counter-terrorism strategies.

This report outlines the developmental landscape of Kenya, highlighting its leadership in information technology and relative strengths in health and education, while noting that corruption and poor access to basic services hinder its progress.

This research paper examines the role of local peace-building organizations in reducing the demand for small arms in Kenya, arguing that community-based, demand-side interventions are more effective in marginalized areas than traditional state-sponsored supply-side regulations.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the fragile state of Somalia in early 2005 following the election of President Abdullahi Yusuf. It details the complex geopolitical maneuvering between the Transitional National Government (TNG) and the Ethiopian-backed Somali Reconciliation and Reconstruction Council (SRRC), the role of IGAD states in the peace process, and the significant challenges the new transitional government faces in establishing authority, including dependence on external support and internal factionalism.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the proliferation of competing peace initiatives in Sudan since the conflict began in April 2023. It argues that the multiplicity of mediation efforts—ranging from the African Union and UN to regional blocs and individual nations—has allowed the warring parties, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, to play initiatives against one another to gain time rather than commit to peace, while the humanitarian crisis worsens.

The report evaluates the AU Peace and Security Council's efforts in conflict resolution and regional stability, highlighting failures in Sudan's mediation due to biased mediator selection and a lack of political focus. It examines the limitations of PSC field missions, the rising death toll of humanitarian workers in Africa, and the role of illegal natural resource exploitation in funding armed groups. Finally, it discusses the need for greater African agency and strategic coordination in infrastructure and security partnerships with China through FOCAC.