Borders in East Africa are often viewed through the lens of state sovereignty and enforced territorial control. This state-centric approach places border security concerns above social order and governance needs. As a result, the administration of these borders often emphasizes militarized approaches, hard border controls, and movement restrictions. Border regions are therefore treated mainly as security problems to be managed, rather than as communities whose everyday experiences, needs, and challenges should be understood and addressed. Using a qualitative comparative case study approach, this study analyses two specific cases of the Al-Fashaga area across the Sudan - Ethiopia border where securitization is primarily linked to competition for access to agricultural land and seasonal migration; and the Mandera – Bula Hawa corridor along the Kenya – Somalia border, where counterterrorism efforts against the al-Shabaab inform the hard border choice of enforcement. The analysis argues that security-based approaches that do not incorporate local realities in border management policies often result in protracted conflicts, social and political tension, and derail economic activities in periphery regions. It recommends a hybrid model that combines state security frameworks with decentralized, community-based engagement as a way of improving both stability and legitimacy.
Securitized Border Governance herunterladen
