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The Horn of Africa has been bedeviled by multiple crises. The much-sought democratic transition in Ethiopia and Sudan has been derailed and the agencies that brought this transition have by and large been liquidated. South Sudan is just emerging from a decade of war and the success of its peace processes is still uncertain. Somalia has been slowly emerging from protracted state failure and yet is still grappling with the challenge of extremist movements and geopolitical competition among diverse arrays of actors including Egypt, Turkey, UAE, Ethiopia. Moreover, regional arrangements for conflict prevention and peace-making are one of the weakest in Africa, while inter-state and intra-state tensions remain peculiarly intensified.

The geopolitics of the region further undermines people-centred agency for peace. In this environment of manifold challenges, local agents of peace such as peace movements could help garner local, national and regional coalition for peace. However, the nature, influence, strength and approaches of peace movements in the Horn of Africa has not been an issue of discussion.

While Africa has been home to dynamic peace movements that have shaped national and regional landscapes—challenging oppression, advocating for justice, and reimagining governance beyond the nation-state model, the persistent crisis in the continent suggests peace movements often struggle to be transformative. This rings even more true in the Horn of Africa where civil societies are often divided, and regimes remain intolerant of autonomous societal forces with different visions and aspirations.

This panel will explore the evolving nature of peace movements in the Horn of Africa, interrogating their strategies, leadership models, impact and challenges. It will examine how these movements have emerged or fail to emerge in response to pervasive conflict and structural inequalities in the region. Additionally, it will explore the visions for peace articulated by these movements.

While state-centric models of peacebuilding dominate international discourse, we are in a period where the top-down agenda for peace is being abandoned by global actors, leaving room for the emergence of endogenous agencies. This discussion explores the prospects and challenges of such endogenous agencies for peace in the Horn of Africa.

About the panelists

Dr Alagaw Ababu Kifle

Dr Alagaw Ababu Kifle is a research fellow and head of fellowship at the African Leadership Centre, Nairobi Kenya. Alagaw holds BA degree in Political Science and International Relations from Addis Ababa University and two MA degrees in Peace and Conflict Studies and Conflict Security and Development (distinction) from Addis Ababa University-University for Peace, and King`s College London respectively. Alagaw is the 2023 first ever Joint PhD graduate of the University of Pretoria, South Africa and King`s College London in Leadership and Security Studies.

Alagaw has over ten years of teaching and research experiences and has widely published both academic and policy-oriented works. His areas of research and publication traverse leadership and the formation of developmental coalitions, political settlement and peace building conversations in Africa, International Financial Institutions and their engagement on fragile and conflict affected African states, Adhoc security arrangements and peace building in Africa, and localised conflicts and state building in Africa.

Olinda Mabunda

Olinda Mabunda is a peace and security professional, with experience in education, customer service, and grant writing. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution from Messiah College, where she gained hands-on experience as the Peace and Conflicts Studies Program Assistant and Human Rights Awareness Director. Olinda also worked as a Legal Assistant at the Instituto do Patrocínio e Assistência Jurídica (IPAJ) in Mozambique. In this role, she analysed and led mediation sessions for various conflict cases, including work, civil, and criminal matters. Her dedication extended to providing legal and judicial assistance to citizens and organising workshops in underserved communities, contributing to human rights awareness and sustainable peacebuilding in Mozambique.

She holds a Master's degree in Global Leadership and Peacebuilding from King's College London and is currently working with Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue on Sudan as part of her attachment as an Associate Fellow at the African Leadership Centre

Geoffrey Lou Duke

Geoffrey Lou Duke is a committed advocate for peace, justice, and human rights in South Sudan and the Horn of Africa. With over a decade of experience, he is renowned for his significant contributions to small arms control, community security, peace negotiations, and humanitarian disarmament. Mr Duke holds a BSc in Politics and International Relations from the University of London- London School of Economics, UK and an Associate Degree in Development Studies from Kampala International University in Kampala, Uganda.

Mr Duke has been serving as the Head of the Secretariat for the South Sudan Action Network on Small Arms, where he addresses the critical issue of small arms proliferation and its effects on national and regional security. His scholarly interests centre on everyday security and justice dynamics, the legitimate use of force, and state-society relations. With over a decade of experience in community security, security sector reform, humanitarian disarmament, and arms control, he has authored numerous policy documents, research papers, and a book chapter, offering significant contributions to both academic and practical discussions in these fields. A regular commentator on peace and security issues in South Sudan, the Horn of Africa, and beyond, his insights have been featured in national and international media outlets, including BBC, Al Jazeera, Politico, CGTN, and The New York Times.

Mr Duke is on the ALC Fellowship for African Scholars in Peace, Security and Development and is currently pursuing an MSc in Global Leadership and Peacebuilding at King’s College London. Before taking up the fellowship, he was a civil society representative at the High-Level Tumaini Mediation Initiative for South Sudan, held in Nairobi, Kenya. This engagement further underscores his commitment to promoting sustainable peace and security in Africa.

Ahmed Ibrahim

Ahmed Ibrahim is an experienced peacebuilding and policy expert with a strong academic background, holding a BBA, a Postgraduate Diploma in Peacebuilding from Makerere University, and an MSc in Global Leadership and Peacebuilding from King’s. With over a decade of expertise in the peace-security-development-humanitarian nexus, Ahmed has contributed to impactful initiatives with the European Union, United Nations, international NGOs, and research think tanks across the Horn of Africa. He has also served as Northern Ireland civil servant with the United Kingdom Department for Work and Pension (Contractor).

As an ALC Security, Peace, and Development Fellow, Ahmed was seconded to Africans for the Horn of Africa (A4HFA), where he served as a Research Analyst. In this role, he focused on analyzing the intersection of security, peacebuilding, and humanitarian issues, external and internal actors and policy developments within the region. His work has contributed significantly to shaping policies and strategies aimed at fostering sustainable peace and development.

About the moderator

Ms Maggie LoWilla

Ms Maggie LoWilla is the Fellowships Coordinator at the African Leadership Centre (ALC). She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Business Studies from the Australian Catholic University, Sydney, Australia, is an alumnus of the ALC Peace, Security and Development Early Career Fellowship and is currently the team lead of the ALC Working Group on South Sudan.

Ms Maggie has worked with civil society and non-governmental organisations in South Sudan, catalysing youth and women’s participation in peace and political processes at the intersection of the Women, Peace, and Security and Youth, Peace, and Security agendas. As a practitioner, researcher, and writer, Ms Maggie’s work challenges dominant narratives, spotlighting African stories grounded in lived experiences. Her research interests include: African Feminism(s), Feminist Security Studies, The State in South Sudan, Youth Agency and Political Resistance in Digital and Creative Spaces.

About King's Africa Week

Hosted by the African Leadership Centre and Africa research group, Africa Week is an annual celebration of research, education and outreach activities on Africa.

King's Africa Week brings together academics, researchers and students from across King's – and offers the opportunity to hear from African scholars, leaders and thinkers. It also showcases King's collaboration with African universities and partners.

Find out more about Africa Week