The panoramic article by Desta reviews the Information and Communications Technology for Peace (ICT4P) literature on the Horn of Africa (the Horn) and showcases the varying levels towards which peacebuilders in the Horn have been able to exploit the internet and social media for conflict transformation and peace-building. The article by Yilma highlights internet access and policies in Ethiopia. The article by Omanga is an interesting piece which focuses on two cases where social media tools were deployed to enhance community policing and also to enable grassroots political deliberation. Michael’s article underlines the tendency towards the emergence of the cyber-realm as a field of political contestation coupled with the attendant process of the securitisation of the cyber-sphere. Carver’s article on the South Sudan at the same time shows how social media activism and its effects on peace and conflict in the Horn of Africa is inextricably linked to processes such as migration and the emergence of Diaspora communities coupled with the advent of satellite television and internet enabled money transfer schemes.The article by Thomas focuses on internet shutdowns in the Horn which interestingly debunks the conventional wisdom that holds governments as solely responsible for internet shutdowns.
