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This infographic explores cross-border and pendular movements within the Mandera Triangle, the tri-border region of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. Using a non-probability sampling approach, the data allows for a spatial and temporal mapping of these movements, their drivers, and migrants’ community support mechanisms and assistance needs. There remains an empirical evidence gap on pendular movements, particularly within the Horn of Africa. This snapshot aims to help reduce this gap, and to inform the work of the Danish Refugee Council’s ‘Building Opportunities for Resilience in the Horn of Africa’ project (BORESHA-NABAD), and other humanitarian and development actors working in this complex, borderland region.
Background
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Pendular movements, also called cross-border movements, refer to the cyclical or repeated movements of individuals or groups living in border areas between two or more locations, often crossing international borders. Migrants engaging in such movements often move between two bordering countries without seeking permanent residence. This form of mobility is central to livelihoods within a borderland region, as it influences daily practices and adaption to economic, environmental, and other shocks. Moreover, borderland communities are inter-connected and share a common language, history, and clan-based familial ties, making cross-border engagements an essential parts of people’s social lives.
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The Mandera Triangle, a borderland region covering parts of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia, is an area prone to recurring environmental shocks including droughts and floods, and varied levels of conflict and insecurity.
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Consecutive failed rainy seasons have exposed the Triangle’s communities to food insecurity and water scarcity, eroding their agricultural and pastoral livelihoods, and have shifted seasonal migration patterns and intensified displacement and cross-border mobility.
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With a population of approximately 350,000 people, residents of Mandera Triangle are some of the most underprivileged populations within Africa, possessing lower skill levels and mainly working in the sectors of small-scale trading and pastoralism.