In the Mandera triangle—a pastoralist region encompassing the point at which the borders of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia meet—the reality of local and cross-border trade often diverges widely from official state policies of control. This disjunction has created a grey zone in which policy contradictions form an integral part of the regulatory environment. With this backdrop in mind, the report explores how small-scale women traders work to secure their livelihoods, damp down conflict and navigate shifting political sands.
Legally Informal: Women, conflict and cross-border trade in the Mandera tri-border area
In the Mandera triangle—a pastoralist region encompassing the point at which the borders of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia meet—the reality of local and cross-border trade often diverges widely from official state policies of control.