The Horn of Africa, comprising Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia, is the most conflict-ridden region in Africa. This book explores the origins and impact of these conflicts at both an intra-state and inter-state level and the insecurity they create.

The contributors show how regional and international interventions have compounded pre-existing tensions and have been driven by competing national interests linked to the 'War on Terror' and acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia.

The Horn of Africa outlines proposals for multidimensional mechanisms for conflict resolution in the region. Issues of border demarcation, democratic deficit, crises of nation and state building, and the roles of political actors and traditional authorities are all clearly analysed.

Redie Bereketeab is a researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala, where he heads a research project on Conflict and State Building in the Horn of Africa. He has authored several journal articles, chapters and books on the Horn of Africa.

Part I: Causes of Conflicts
1. Inter-State and Intra-State Conflicts and Security in the Horn of Africa
Redie Bereketeab
2. Poverty, Inequality, State Identity, and Chronic Inter-State Conflicts in the Horn of Africa
Kidane Mengisteab
3. Leadership in the Horn of Africa: The EMIC/ETIC Perspective
Hassan Mahadallah
Part II: Conflict Dynamics
4. Conflicts in the Horn of Africa and Implications for Regional Security
Kassahun Berhanu
5. Border Changes: North Sudan, South Sudan and Regional Dynamics
Abdalbasit Saeed
6. Political Violence in the Horn of Africa: A Framework for Analysis
Seifudein Adem
Part III: Regional and International Interventions
7. IGAD and Regional Relations in the Horn of Africa
Peter Woodward
8. The Production of Somali Conflict and the Role of Internal and External Actors
Abdi Ismail Samatar
9. Militia and Piracy in the Horn of Africa: External Responses
Bjørn Møller
Index