Greed or Grievances: The Gedo Conundrum
This brief examines how Gedo became a key battleground for the center- periphery rift in Somalia’s federal politics. It investigates FGS control of Gedo, the complications and challenges surrounding the holding of elections in Gedo, and the triggers of the Gedo dispute: including unaddressed grievances, a lack of state-level security presence, and greed-induced motivations. The brief also puts forward several policy considerations.
Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a’s resurgence: factors, missed opportunities and the way forward
Galmudug State of Somalia (GSS) became embroiled in a bloody conflict after Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a’s (ASWJ) leadership returned to Galmudug in October 2021 under…
Lessons from Somalia’s 2021 Upper House Elections
After about three and half months, the election of the Upper House’s 54 members has been completed. However, the electoral process has not been undertaken without flaws. It empowered the presidents of Federal Member States (FMS) to submit a list of candidates for each…
Bridging the Gap between Policies and People in Somalia: Introducing Policy Design Centers
Policies, programs, and projects that are designed and implemented to serve the needs of Somalia’s citizens often fail to achieve their objectives. Regrettably, this observation is so widespread and noted so often that it is easy to gloss…
From Agreement to Implementation: The Operationalization of Somalia’s Indirect Election Agreement
On May 27, members of the National Consultative Council (NCC) signed an election agreement in Mogadishu. The agreement, which consists of eight points and a roadmap for the post-election government, addresses the core outstanding issues of the…
Who owns data in Somalia? Ending the country’s privatised knowledge economy
Over the past decades, donors, aid agencies, consultants and enumerators have conducted increasing amounts of aid-related research in the form of monitoring, assessments and surveys in Somalia. The rise of third-party monitoring (TPMs), new technologies and…
A comparative review of Somalia’s controversial Sexual Offences Bills
There has been controversy surrounding the development of new legislation in Somalia addressing sexual offences, at a time when incidences of rape and other sexual violence have become rampant and impunity is pervasive. Two different bills on sexual offences have been drafted by different…
Protecting stability and inclusivity in Somalia’s indirect election process
Protecting progress that has already been made in Somalia’s post-conflict transition should be the main priority of the upcoming electoral process. Significantly, Somalis have already achieved agreement on the main aspects of the…
What Lessons can be Learned from Somalia’s 2016 Indirect Elections?
Somalia is heading into another indirect election in 2020-21. It is a familiar process and one that was undertaken almost four years ago. Many lessons can be learned from the 2016 indirect electoral implementation process. In 2016, candidates for the House of the…
Examining the impact of COVID-19 on higher education in Mogadishu
Soon after the first few cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Somalia, schools and higher education institutions were forced to close down their campuses in a bid to reduce infections. Universities explored online teaching as an alternative approach to continue…
