Bad Borders make bad Neighbours: The Political Economy of Relief and Rehabilitation in the Somali Region 5, Eastern Ethiopia

One of the distinctive features of the recent aid programmes in eastern Ethiopia is the almost complete absence of any political, institutional and programmatic history. This is an unforgivable omission in an area steeped in a century-old history of conflict; and with a 20- year record of relief and rehabilitation work, which has strongly moulded the relationships between aid providers and recipients.