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This document is an executive summary of the international conference "Unpacking the Somali Conflict," held in Pretoria on January 21, 2009. Organized by the African Security Analysis Programme, the event brought together analysts and practitioners to discuss the complexities of the crisis in Somalia, the role of the Transitional Federal Government and the African Union, and alternative paradigms for peace and conflict resolution.

This seminar report, based on a session held in Addis Ababa on January 20, 2009, uses the Ghanaian experience to examine whether elections can resolve political contests in the absence of political compromise. The seminar concludes that elections are not isolated events but are embedded within a broader political culture and body polity, meaning their effectiveness in conflict prevention depends on the surrounding political context.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the aftermath of Kenya's 2007 post-election violence, focusing on the challenges of implementing electoral reforms and transitional justice. It analyzes the findings of the Kriegler and Waki Commissions and the political tensions within the Grand Coalition Government regarding the prosecution of perpetrators versus the granting of amnesty.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the economic and political outlook for Africa in 2009, highlighting the risks posed by the global banking crisis, commodity price volatility, and precarious democratic transitions.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the conflict in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as of January 2009. It identifies key drivers of instability in North Kivu and outlines three potential scenarios for the region: the maintenance of the status quo, a return to war, or the establishment of peace through negotiations.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the 2009 amnesty program initiated by the Nigerian Federal Government for militants in the Niger Delta, questioning whether financial compensation can resolve deep-seated socio-economic grievances.

This summary report details an expert meeting held in August 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya, focused on updating livestock identification and traceability systems (LITS) to combat cattle rustling and improve food safety. The meeting aimed to analyze the Branding Act (CAP 357) and develop new rules, procedures, and standard operating procedures (SoPs) to incorporate electronic systems (ELITS).

The December 2009 edition of SA Crime Quarterly examines the state of crime and justice in South Africa, highlighting a reversal in the downward trend of overall crime rates and the rise of 'trio crimes'. The report analyzes the effectiveness of social crime prevention versus law enforcement, the implementation of right-to-information laws, and the systemic challenges within the correctional and policing systems.

This concept note outlines a proposed workshop organized by the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO), Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) to develop a regional response strategy for law enforcement agents to combat piracy in Eastern Africa.

This document presents the 'Co-Chairs' Recommendations' from a workshop held in Cape Town on 24-25 June 2009. The event, hosted by the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), aimed to raise awareness of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy among African civil society organizations (CSOs) and explore ways to increase their participation in its implementation.

This document is a report on an ISS round-table seminar held on 8 December 2008 in Pretoria, which brought together representatives from Morocco and the Polisario Front to discuss the roots and potential solutions for the conflict in Western Sahara.

This research paper analyzes the results of the 2007 National Victimisation Survey (NVS) to examine South African public perceptions of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the court system, comparing these findings with data from 1998 and 2003.

This research paper analyzes the dynamics of the six most common crimes in South Africa—housebreaking, property theft, theft from vehicles, robbery, assault, and corruption—using data from victim surveys conducted in 1998, 2003, and 2007. Key findings indicate a trend of crimes increasingly occurring within residential areas and homes, particularly housebreakings and assaults. While weapon use in assaults has declined, it has increased in robberies. Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal are identified as the provinces with the highest crime levels, while the Northern Cape has the lowest. The paper highlights a high level of familiarity between victims and perpetrators and notes a permissive societal attitude toward 'minor' corruption, such as paying bribes for traffic fines.

This situation report evaluates the failure of security sector reform (SSR) and disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) programmes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), specifically focusing on the impact on the Kivu Provinces. It argues that the lack of progress in these areas, driven by a lack of political will from the Congolese government and poor international coordination, has contributed to the fragility of the peace process and the resumption of fighting in eastern DRC in October 2008.

This report summarizes a seminar hosted by the Institute for Security Studies on November 14, 2008, featuring U.S. Ambassador Eric M. Bost. The discussion focused on the 2008 U.S. presidential election of Barack Obama and the potential implications for Africa, specifically addressing the tension between global expectations of a policy shift and the likelihood of a domestic-focused U.S. agenda.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the evolution of France's relations with Africa, analyzing the transition from the traditional 'Françafrique' system of personalized power and influence toward a more multilateral, transparent partnership. It evaluates the tensions between official rhetoric of rupture—such as the 'doctrine de la Baule' and President Nicolas Sarkozy's promises—and the persistence of old habits, including the support of authoritarian regimes and the reduction of development aid.

This research paper by Jonny Steinberg for the Institute for Security Studies examines the 'xenophobic riots' in South Africa between 11 and 26 May 2008. Through interviews with victims, perpetrators, and local leaders, the author argues that while the violence targeted foreign nationals, it was driven by a patrimonial understanding of the economy as a finite resource and fueled by local struggles for state patronage.

This research paper examines corruption within South Africa's Metropolitan Police Departments (MPDs), highlighting a high prevalence of bribery in traffic enforcement. It compares the anti-corruption strategies of six major MPDs, noting that while some (like Johannesburg) have adopted tracking technology and hotlines, systemic issues persist. These include the use of inadequate general council disciplinary codes instead of police-specific codes, limited investigative and entrapment powers compared to the national SAPS, and a tendency for management to rationalize corruption as being driven by the public's willingness to pay bribes.

This research paper examines the implementation and challenges of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) across the African continent. It argues that international control mechanisms fail to prioritize specific African concerns, such as the prevention of disease outbreaks, and that African states often lack the resources and political priority to implement necessary national legislation.

This research paper examines South Africa's domestication of the Rome Statute through the Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Act 27 of 2002 (ICC Act). It analyzes how the Act enables the national prosecution of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, the establishment of the Priority Crimes Litigation Unit, and the legal mechanisms for cooperating with the International Criminal Court (ICC).