Mitigating Electoral Competition and Political Polarization

Outlook on peace and development in the horn of Africa: Exploring opportunities for cooperation

The Horn of Africa (HoA), a geographical belt comprising Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Eritrea, is one of the most turbulent regions in the world. In July 2021, the World Bank reported that the region harbors more than 2.7 million refugees and 6 million internally displaced people that have been subject to prolonged conflict, religious extremism, poor governance, and limited public services to support basic needs. Exasperating these pre-existing governance issues are large-scale environmental phenomena such as climate change which has caused droughts, famine, food scarcity and stifled economic growth with decade-long effects. Much of the region’s fragility is historically rooted in religious and ethnic conflicts dating back to pre-colonial times when religion and ethnicity were highly contested among diverse communities.