Paving the way for peace in uncharted territory in Somalia
Limited state resources, the absence of functioning national institutions, and weakened government infrastructure have placed significant constraints on Somalia's peace and state-building efforts. In addition, the Somali people suffer from limited access to essential services, inter-communal clashes related to land-based disputes, and inter-clan grievances resulting in retaliatory interactions that further perpetuate violence among the Somali people.
Weak coordination between federal, state, and district level governance mechanisms and entities significantly restrict the extension of state authority, especially in the rural areas. The absence of basic governance apparatus such as transferring funds through the national Government to local levels for infrastructure development severely limit Somali people's access to basic facilities.?
The Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), through UNDP, accompanied the Government's effort to expand its presence and capacity at the local and federal levels in territories recovered from the extremist militant group, Al-Shabaab. To improve infrastructure-related services, federal funds were, for the first time, channeled through a new Federal Government system to state and district levels. Seen as a high-risk intervention, this move into unchartered territory brought an unprecedented change in delivering basic services to the Somali people. In addition, the effective set-up of accountability mechanisms in administrative and financial departments and the successful linkages between the federal, state, and district levels increased the citizens' confidence and trust vis-à-vis the Government's role in the stabilization process.
The PBF-funded initiatives proved catalytic and impactful in paving the way for peace in Somalia. An independent portfolio evaluation of the PBF's investments in Somalia between 2015-2019 confirmed this and stated that there was an "Increased donor confidence about being more willing to channel funds through the Federal Government after observing the success" of the PBF-funded project. The Report further underscored that "In spite of its small size, the (PBF) portfolio is perceived to be highly impactful for generating positive consequences because of its emphasis on innovation and risk-taking. PBF supported the engagement in newly emerging States with relatively weak institutions and a volatile social context to allow for UN agencies to engage earlier than would have been possible with traditional donors."
The PBF also significantly contributed to mitigating inter-clan disputes and negotiations through local reconciliation processes. Violent clashes among clans are common in Somalia due to internal displacement exacerbated by the dwindling access to natural resources.?
In the city of Abudwak, Galmudug state, the people, especially women and youth, suffered the devastating impacts of clan conflicts for many years. In a recent initiative, as part of the Fund's annual Gender and Youth Promotion Initiative, the first UN-led civil society local peacebuilding?project focused on bringing youth people together, implemented by the Life and Peace Institute in partnership with Somali Peace Line. More than 500 young Somalis, including around 270 females, participated in over 630 community dialogues. The dialogues brought together young people, community members and clan elders in Baidoa, Jawhar and Caabudwaaq to jointly address inter-clan conflicts, community needs and foster supportive relations. The dialogues also discussed enhancing collaboration among the security agencies, district administration and community elders. In addition, the sessions connected young people from opposing clans and helped resolve differences in a non-violent manner. Moderated and attended by hundreds of young men and women belonging to various clans, these dialogues discussed how concrete actions could be implemented to prevent the escalation of violent conflict within communities.?
One young male participant from Abudwak said, "I never thought I could have friends from other clans and trust them. I can now see youth who were previously engaged in hostilities now engaging in peacebuilding. Instead of being destructive we are now united on improving our community. We motivate each other."
The first-ever peace march held in Abduwak in November 2020 engaged thousands of young women and men to join forces and advocate for an end to hostilities with messages of peace. In addition, a "No More Discrimination" campaign was launched on radio and social media platforms in support of marginalized groups. The dialogues, locally broadcasted on television, engaged youth to act as messengers of peace and contribute to peacebuilding processes.?
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