Announcement

Horn of Africa Day - 14 December 2005
Venue: Poortgebouw, Rijnsburgerweg 10, Leiden (5 minutes from Leiden CS)
Directions to the Poortgebouw

Challenges and prospects of democratization in a zone of conflict. Rethinking the role of non-state actors and international development partners in the 21st century Horn of Africa

Introduction to the theme

The Horn of Africa is a politically unstable region that has been the scene of remarkable political experiments and of notable donor-country attention, especially in the sphere of democratization, governance, economic reforms, and reforms of the legal system..
The Horn - comprising Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan - has a great diversity of peoples, climate zones, economic infrastructures, and a variety of political traditions. Variously shaped by colonial experiences and strong indigenous traditions of politics – e.g., imperial rule, sultanates, ‘acephalous’ societies, local, clan-based chieftaincies – it has, however, been volatile and conflict-prone, especially over the past century. In 1991 regime changes occurred in Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea. Civil wars ended and transitional regimes were installed. In Djibouti and Somaliland elections were held. Sudan, however, was least marked by processes of political liberalization since the early 1990s.

This tide of change initially drew strong hope and renewed commitment from donor countries, NGOs and scholars that the Horn countries would be able to achieve meaningful democratic reform and, most importantly, in its wake would be able to address the legacy of conflict and re-start the development effort in this region, which remains one of the most impoverished and underdeveloped even in Africa. Numerous local NGOs emerged and started operating with donor assistance. International NGOs and organizations (like the World Bank, the IMF and the Africa Development Bank) initiated major investments and programs to enhance the processes of political and economic liberalization. European donor countries offered help with the training of police forces, the reform of judicial structures, voter education and practical support for elections. Programmes to improve the human rights record, the educational systems and the involvement and training of women were also initiated.

Today, in late 2005, it is time to take stock of the results of democratization processes and the institutional and financial support provided to them by the donor community against the backdrop of growing public discontent and the recent flare-up of the violent conflicts in the Horn. The Ethiopian–Eritrean war of 1998-2000 and the resulting border stalemate, the Darfur conflict, the insecurities around the Sudanese peace agreement for the South, the internal tensions in Ethiopia, and the continued chaos in Somalia have deeply affected democratization processes across the region. In addition, increased domestic suppression of civil society and democratic tendencies notably in Eritrea since 2000 and in Ethiopia after the contested May 2005 elections contributed to bring the democratization process to a stand-still.
Donor policies may have proven to be very limited in their impact. It is relevant to ask what has been achieved, and on what levels.
Some of the questions to be asked are the following:

• How were local civil society organizations in the Horn countries assisted? What is their current role?
• Have donor countries made the wrong assumptions about political culture in the Horn and its capacities for change?
• How do NGOs and bilateral programmes and /or sector support initiatives relate to the state context and its conditions?
• How have justice systems (the courts, the legal codes, professional training) in the Horn been impacted by donor and NGO programmes, and what is their (in)direct contribution to a more democratic order?
• Have donor-organizations and countries as well as the UN organs been clear enough toward recipient countries in their aims and understandings of ‘democracy’, good governance’, ‘conflict resolution’, ‘justice’, etc. in the Horn countries? What contradictions have occurred?
• How has the relationship between democratization efforts and gender equality been addressed in policy and aid programs?
• What globalizing factors from outside the region are relevant, and how did the largely Western-dominated discourse and development policy relate democratization to local, indigenous notions of rights, political representation and justice?
• How did democratization programs connect to economic and social ‘development’? Is there a relationship?
• What explains the lack of serious reflections on the role of pastoralist peoples in the democratization debate and the lack of practical policies to enhance their representation and participation?
  
  Next to some historical and conceptual analysis, to be presented by keynote and introductory speakers, three workshops will concretely explore the various democratization programmes and their political, social and economic impact over the past 15 years.
  Here the most valuable contributions would be those of organizations and persons closely involved in local-level implementation of democratization initiatives in the Horn countries in the past decade-and-a-half.
  
  We invite suggestions for topics to be discussed in the workshops from participating institutions and individuals. Possible topics include:
  
  1. Democratisation, Governance, and Obstacles to Institutional Development : understandings and expectations among donor countries and the Horn countries
  
  2. Dealing with Threats to Democratisation: elite politics, religious radicalization, and local conflicts
  
  3. Democratisation and Economics: legal environment, privatisation, NGO activities, and foreign investments impinging on democratisation and political reform.