This article proposes an alternative interpretation of political disorder in Ethiopia's Somali Regional State since the rise to power of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) in i991. Some observers have perceived contemporary politics in the former Ogaden as an example of 'internal colonisation' by highland Ethiopians. Others attribute political instability to the 'nomadic culture' inherent in the Somali clan structure and the ineptness of its political leaders. This study argues that neither of these two politicised narratives grasps the contradictory interactions between the federal Ethiopian government and its Somali periphery, nor the recursive relations between state and society. With reference to the literature on neo-patrimonialism, I elucidate political disorder in the Somali Region by empirically describing hybrid political domination, institutional instability, and patronage relations, showing how neo-patrimonial rule translates into contested statehood in the region and political devices ranging from military coercion to subtle co-optation. Rather than unilateral domination, a complex web of power and manipulation between parts of the federal and regional authorities animates political disorder in Ethiopia's Somali Region.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/3876317.pdf

Beyond clannishness and colonialism : understanding political disorder in Ethiopia's Somali Region,1991^2004

The physical and social retreat of international interveners behind the walls of ‘bunkered’ aid compounds in (putatively) more remote and dangerous regions of the South has been the focus of growing critical attention in recent years. An increasingly remote and fearful culture of risk aversion and differentiation among Western states and organizations has been largely identified as the driving force behind this set of practices. This article presents a different perspective on the bunkerization phenomenon through focusing on the agency of Southern states in the process. Exploring bunkerization across eastern/central Africa—and in Ethiopia’s eastern Somali region in particular—the study emphasizes not only how African states have been key promoters of modern bunkerization, but also how bunkerization behaviour and mentalities have historically characterized how many African borderlands—and contemporary sites of international intervention—have been incorporated into the global state system.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17502977.2016.1260209

Reproducing remoteness? States, internationals and the co-constitution of aid ‘bunkerization’ in the East African periphery

State development in Africa is risky, even life-threatening. Heads of state must weigh the advantage of promoting political and economic development against the risk of fortifying dangerous political rivals. This book takes a novel approach to the study of neopatrimonial rule by placing security concerns at the center of state-building. Using quantitative evidence from 44 African countries and in-depth case studies of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, Rabinowitz demonstrates that the insecurities of the African state make strategically aligning with rural leaders critical to political success. Leaders who cultivate the goodwill of the countryside are better able to endure sporadic urban unrest, subdue political challengers, minimize ethnic and regional discord, and prevent a military uprising. Such regimes are more likely to build infrastructure needed for economic and political development. In so doing, Rabinowitz upends the long-held assumption that African leaders must cater to urban constituents to secure their rule.

Coups, Rivals, and the Modern State: Why Rural Coalitions Matter in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Somali case offers a unique opportunity to analyze the evolution of local security arrangements and political orders in environments which are chronically insecure and in which the state is either weak or absent. Over the past several decades, Somalis living in Somalia, Somaliland, eastern Ethiopia, and northern Kenya have had to cope with a wide array of failed, weak, emerging, and predatory state structures, each of which has posed special challenges to communities seeking to create a safe environment.

Local Security Systems in Somali East Africa

Recently there has been a great deal of interest in applying the concept of resilience to pastoral systems and to development programs in pastoral systems. This paper addresses pastoralism and its resilience in Africa south of the Sahara, with a primary focus on the Horn of Africa and some contrast to West African examples. It begins with an overview of the realities of contemporary pastoralism in this area that highlights social, economic, and political challenges and opportunities. It then focuses on the concept of resilience and its applications in the specific context of pastoral production systems. After discussing the general appeal of resilience for analyzing these systems, the paper illustrates specific elements of pastoralism that enhance or constrain household-level resilience. Empirical examples of adaptations by pastoralists in response to the challenges of resilience then are presented, followed by a discussion of recent development initiatives in pastoralist areas. The conclusion considers what the concept of resilience contributes to an understanding of pastoralist systems and the development initiatives that hold the most promise for enhancing resilience in the future.

Resilience and pastoralism in Africa south of the Sahara, With a particular focus on the horn of Africa and the Sahel, West Africa

If the outcome of our combined efforts over a ten or twenty year period were to be a real reinforcement of 'human capital' in Africa then their success as people will also be dependent upon all the other dimensions of successful development. The production of people with skills has to move in parallel with the provision of the tools they need to do the job. As a spanking new hospital without the right quantity and quality of staff can be a white elephant of massive proportions, so also the trained pharmacist in the town clinic needs to have the tools to do the job an income that is sufficient to live, uninterrupted electricity to keep the vaccines safe in the fridge, clean water in the taps, and drugs to dispense that are not counterfeit chalk tablets. And pharmacy has to be a viable business in a thriving economy, and one which is not subject to the devastation of war or the debilitation of corruption. The Report of the Commission strikes a note of optimism and hope in its attitude to Africa and its prospects. The task will be to work together to make a reality out of that prospect.

Tobias Hagmann

Papers

Challenges of Decentrali- sation in Ethiopia's Somali Region