Aden Abdi is our Africa Department Director, covering the Horn of Africa, East and Central Africa and West Africa.

In his previous role as Horn of Africa Programme Director, Aden provided crucial technical and accompaniment support to the peace mediation process between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), which eventually culminated in the Asmara peace agreement in October 2018. Aden has over 14 years of experience supporting and implementing governance and peacebuilding programmes in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia. He has worked with a wide range of local, regional and national governments, opposition groups, civil society actors, local communities and donor governments in the Horn of Africa region.

Prior to joining Conciliation Resources in 2012, Aden worked in the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) Somali Programme in Nairobi as a senior Programme Officer from 2008-2012. He also worked with International Rescue Committee and CARE International, as well as a joint World Bank-Government of Kenya programme. Aden holds an MA in International Studies from the University of Nairobi. He has written numerous papers and articles on political, peacebuilding and security issues in the Horn of Africa.