DEFENCE AND SECURITY
Countries in the Horn of Africa continue to experience security related problems at all levels – local, national, regional, and international – more than 40 years after independence. The region has faced various forms of conflicts, ranging from military coups, socio-economic, revolutions, intractable ethnic, border, to religion.
Additionally, the spike in terrorism waged by al Qaida-backed al Shabab terror group has devastated the region disrupting livelihoods, destroying infrastructure, causing great harm to physical and human capital, and hampering economic growth. The region is also affected by piracy, in part because it is geo-strategically located along one of the world’s busiest sea trade routes, accounting for about 10 per cent of the world’s sea trade, stretching from the Suez Canal through the Red Sea, to the Indian Ocean.
This program focuses on local, national, regional, and international drivers of insecurity in the Horn of Africa which includes terrorism, piracy, Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) proliferation, divisive politics, and maritime disputes. It brings together experts on maritime issues, international security, and international law through roundtable discussions, consultative forums, and research initiatives, to generate policy solutions in response to the foregoing threats and issues.
