In this episode, we highlight the Women Researchers Fellowship, an initiative by the X-Border Local Research Network that supports early-career female researchers in conflict-affected border regions across Asia, MENA, and the Horn of Africa. The fellows share their research, the challenges they face in male-dominated fields, and the new networks they’ve built through the XCEPT programme. Listen as these six distinguished fellows discuss their areas of interest, offer insights into researching in conflict zones, and explore the contributions they aim to make in their fields.
The Research Fellows
Hilina Berhanu Degefa, Ethiopia
Women’s participation in non-state ethnic and ethno-national armed groups in Ethiopia with cross-border implications with Kenya and internal borders.
Htoo Htet Naing, Myanmar
Exploring aspirations and challenges:community perceptions of governance stability and peacebuilding in northern Rakhine states.
Moneera Yassien, Sudan
Use of quantitative methods to analyze the impact of localized conflict on cross-border trade on the Kenya-Uganda border.
Salma Daoudi, Morocco
Complexities of healthcare and impact on security and wellbeing of displaced Syrians on the Turkish-Syria border regions.
Ilyssa Yahmi, Algeria
Smuggling and conflict in the Sahara region in two-fold: Smuggling as a tool for rebel control and governance; and studying the relationship between human smuggling and border securitization.
Faryak Khan, Pakistan
Exploring the peace and conflict nexus in new emerged tribal districts in Pakistan especially in the northwestern border with Afghanistan.