Latest Updates

As Kenya advances into southern Somalia, it must act cautiously and avoid prolonged “occupation”, lest it turn local opinion against the operation and galvanise opposition Al-Shabaab can co-opt, much as happened to Ethiopia in 2006-2009.

Two weeks after the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed that four prominent Kenyan figures, including two presidential candidates, are to stand trial over crimes against humanity, political emotions in the country are running high. Andrew Stroehlein, Communications Director for the International Crisis Group, and Abdullahi Boru Halakhe, Crisis Group Kenya Analyst, discuss the situation in Eldoret which is the scene of post-election violence 4 years ago, and talk about the local feelings in the run-up to the next elections due in 2012.

Somali militant group Al-Shabaab has built a cross-border network with the aim of radicalising and recruiting youth to fight in Somalia and carry out attacks within Kenya. EJ Hogendoorn, Crisis Group's Horn of Africa Project Director, discusses how best to counter the trend.

Kenya’s proximity to and troubled relationship with Somalia and the militant Al-Shabaab movement threaten its security and stability, necessitating sound strategies to combat Islamist radicalisation that go beyond counter-terrorism.

After post-election violence gripped Kenya in 2007-08, the International Criminal Court (ICC) launched an investigation into top politicians allegedly implicated in the crisis. Crisis Group analyst Abdullahi Boru Halakhe looks at the effect the ICC proceedings may have on this year's presidential and legislative elections.

While the International Criminal Court (ICC) has a chance to inaugurate a new era of accountability in Kenya, misperceptions could also amplify ethnic tensions ahead of the 2012 elections if its work and limitations are not better explained to the public.

Address to the World Affairs Council of Oregon by Mark L. Schneider, Senior Vice President, International Crisis Group, “Implementing the Responsibility to Protect in Kenya and Beyond”, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, 5 March 2010.

Since the announcement of the contested presidential election results on 30 December 2007 giving a second term to Mwai Kibaki, Kenya has been in its worst political crisis since independence.