Matthew Bryden
Matthew Bryden | |
---|---|
Born | United Kingdom |
Nationality | Canadian |
Other names | Matt Bryden |
Alma mater | Upper Canada College King's College London |
Occupation | Strategic Consultant at Sahan Research |
Known for | Horn of Africa political analysis, considered a leading authority on insurgency in Somalia |
Matthew Bryden is a Canadian political analyst active in the Horn of Africa. He worked for several aid and political organizations in Somalia after spending some time in the region during his leave from the Canadian military in 1987. He served as the Coordinator for the Monitoring Group Eritrea (EMG) from 2008-2012. He is now a strategic security consultant at Sahan Research, a think tank based in Nairobi.
Early life
Matthew Bryden was born in the UK and grew up in Canada.[1][2] He attended Upper Canada College in Toronto, where he graduated in 1985.[3] Bryden joined the Canadian Forces Reserve[4] and became interested in African aid programs after visiting the region during a military leave in 1987.[5]
Career
Bryden was hired by the
In 1992, Bryden was appointed Special Advisor to the Canadian Ambassador on Somali Affairs. He led the War-torn Societies Project (WSP) from 1996 to 2003
In 2008, Bryden was appointed Coordinator of the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea (SEMG), which monitored violations of the general and complete arms embargo introduced by United Nations Security Council Resolution 733 on 23 January 1992.[8] This included reports that the United States violated the embargo when making anti-terrorist missile strikes, and an incident where two journalists were detained under suspicions of being mercenaries.[8] Bryden said he considered any munitions delivered to Somalia to be a breach of the embargo.[8]
Bryden accused then Puntland President Abdirahman Farole and other government officials of being on the payroll of pirate gangs.[9] Abdirahman Farole in turn accused Bryden of using his position at the SEMG to create inflated reports of munitions in the neighboring regions of Somaliland in order to support his interest in the secession of Somaliland. He noted Bryden was married to a well-connected woman from the region's dominant, Isaaq clan.[10] Bryden stepped down from his SEMG position in mid-2012.[11]
Personal life
As of 2010, Bryden lives in Nairobi, Kenya.[12][13] Bryden is fluent in Somali.[1]
Bibliography
- New hope for Somalia? The building block approach, 1999
- The Banana Test: Is Somaliland Ready for Recognition, 2003
- Somalia and Somaliland: Envisioning a dialogue on the question of Somali unity, 2004
- Rebuilding Somaliland: Issues and Possibilities, 2005
- Report of the United Nations Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea Submitted in Accordance with Resolution 1916, 2010 (coauthor)
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-55365-659-3. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-4391-8841-5. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ^ Upper Canada College (2000). "Summer 2000". Old Times (Summer). Retrieved 17 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Speakers' Biographies" (PDF). Geneva Peacebuilding Platform. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4391-8841-5. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-4391-8841-5. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-4391-8841-5. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ^ a b c Pelton, Robert (20 September 2012). "Hijacked". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ^ Gunmen, Fish and Puntland: the Professionalization of Piracy?, Piracy Studies: Academic Research on Maritime Policy
- ISBN 978-0-306-82158-5. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ Hanners, David (19 October 2012). "Weakened Somali terror group may step up recruitment, fundraising here, experts say". Twin Cities. Pioneer Press. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ^ Upper Canada College (2011). "Class Notes". Old Times. Summer/Fall. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
- ^ "War-torn societies project in practice" (PDF). War-torn Societies Project. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
- "Somalia bans Sahan Research from operating in the country". Garowe Online. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2021.