In this episode of The Horn, Alan is joined by Crisis Group’s Africa Program Director, Murithi Mutiga, to discuss the inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam. They trace the project’s development during a tumultuous period for the region and explore its economic and political significance for Ethiopia. They examine why the project has raised tensions with the downstream Nile countries, Egypt and Sudan, why mediation efforts failed before completion, and to what extent concerns about GERD are justified. Finally, they discuss whether the dam can deliver the economic transformation Ethiopia hopes for, what it would take for Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan to avert a future crisis, and how the dispute over the dam could still drive regional tensions for years to come.

For more, check out our Ethiopia and Horn of Africa pages.

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In this episode of The Horn, marking Crisis Group’s 30th anniversary, Alan Boswell speaks with president & CEO Comfort Ero about how the landscape of peacemaking has evolved since the organisation’s founding in 1995. They trace how the environment for conflict resolution has shifted from the aftermath of the war in Bosnia to today’s challenges, amid a second Trump presidency and an unravelling global order. They then turn to Africa, examining how leaders on the continent perceive the erosion of Western dominance and the obstacles facing efforts to resolve regional conflicts. They also discuss how the war in Sudan illustrates the difficulties of peacemaking amid a fragmenting world. Finally, they discuss the future of peacemaking amid these headwinds.

For more, check out the last The Horn Episode with Comfort “Africa in a World between Orders” as well as our Africa and Multilateral Diplomacy pages.

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This week on The Horn, Alan Boswell sits down with Samira Gaid, founder and senior analyst at the Mogadishu-based think tank Balqiis Insights, and Fred Bauma, human rights advocate and executive secretary at the Ebuteli research institute in Kinshasa, to unpack the uncertain future of peacekeeping operations across the African continent. Once a signature response to conflict, large multilateral missions face growing skepticism from global powers like China, Russia, and the U.S., as well as from the very states they aim to protect. The guests reflect on the frustration shared by local populations, host governments and international donors as peacekeeping missions struggle to deliver real security and political progress. They discuss why some global actors are still keen on trying to make peacekeeping fit for purpose, despite these challenges. Finally, they assess what the future of foreign deployments and missions in fragile countries in Africa might look like, given the decline of multilateralism.

This episode is produced in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.

For more, check out Crisis Group CEO Comfort Ero’s analyst’s notebook entry, “The Future of UN Peacekeeping Cannot Be Business as Usual” and our Multilateral Diplomacy page.

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