Conflict in Somalia : Drivers and Dynamics

Somalia's history of conflict reveals an intriguing paradox--namely, many of the factors that drive armed conflict have also played a role in managing, ending, or preventing war. For instance, clannism and clan cleavages are a source of conflict--used to divide Somalis, fuel endemic clashes ove...

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Main Author: World Bank
Format: Social Analysis
Language:English
en_US
Published: Washington, DC 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2005/01/6763128/conflict-somalia-drivers-dynamics
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/8476
id okr-10986-8476
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-84762021-04-23T14:02:40Z Conflict in Somalia : Drivers and Dynamics World Bank AID COORDINATION ALLIANCES AMMUNITION ARMED CONFLICT ARMED CONFLICTS ARMIES ATROCITIES AUTHORITY BOUNDARIES BOYCOTTS CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES CIVIL SOCIETY CIVIL WAR CLAN CONFLICTS COLD WAR COMBAT COMBATANTS COMMUNITIES CONFLICT CONFLICT MANAGEMENT CONFLICT MEDIATION CONFLICT OVER CONTROL CONFLICT PREVENTION CRIMINALITY CRISES CYCLE OF VIOLENCE DEMOBILIZATION DETERRENCE DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE DISARMAMENT DISPUTES ECONOMIC AID ELECTIONS FAMILIES FOOD AID FOREIGN AID GENDER EQUALITY HORN OF AFRICA HUMAN RIGHTS IBRD INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEADERSHIP MILITARIZATION MILITIA MILITIAS NATIONS NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENTS NEGOTIATIONS PEACE PEACE PROCESS PEACE PROCESSES RECONCILIATION RECONSTRUCTION REFUGEES RULE OF LAW SECURITY FORCES SOCIALLY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA TERRORISM UNDP VICTIMS VIOLENCE VIOLENT CONFLICT VIOLENT CONFLICTS WAR WAR ECONOMIES WARFARE WEAPONS Somalia's history of conflict reveals an intriguing paradox--namely, many of the factors that drive armed conflict have also played a role in managing, ending, or preventing war. For instance, clannism and clan cleavages are a source of conflict--used to divide Somalis, fuel endemic clashes over resources and power, used to mobilize militia, and make broad-based reconciliation very difficult to achieve. Most of Somalia's armed clashes since 1991 have been fought in the name of clan, often as a result of political leaders manipulating clannism for their own purposes. Yet traditional clan elders are a primary source of conflict mediation, clan-based customary law serves as the basis for negotiated settlements, and clan-based blood-payment groups serve as a deterrent to armed violence. Likewise, the central state is conventionally viewed as a potential source of rule of law and peaceful allocation of resources, but, at times in Somalia's past, it was a source of violence and predation. Economic interests, too, have had an ambiguous relationship with conflict in Somalia. In some places, war economies have emerged that perpetuate violence and lawlessness, while in other instances business interests have been a driving force for peace, stability, and rule of law. Understanding under what circumstances these and other variables serve as escalators or de-escalators of violence-or both-is the subtle challenge conflict analysis faces in the Somali context. To prepare the ground for providing effective and sensitive reconstruction and development assistance to Somalia that contributes to conflict de-escalation, this analysis examines the key conflict factors at play in the three main regions of the country and recommends avoiding fueling clan-group competition, encouraging and supporting cross-clan or clan-neutral activities and partners, helping to bridge groups, and understanding the role of religion. A number of pertinent recommendations are also made towards fostering sensitive economic development and nonpartisan governance. 2012-06-19T20:01:04Z 2012-06-19T20:01:04Z 2005-01 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2005/01/6763128/conflict-somalia-drivers-dynamics http://hdl.handle.net/10986/8476 English en_US CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank Washington, DC Economic & Sector Work :: Social Analysis Economic & Sector Work
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
en_US
topic AID COORDINATION
ALLIANCES
AMMUNITION
ARMED CONFLICT
ARMED CONFLICTS
ARMIES
ATROCITIES
AUTHORITY
BOUNDARIES
BOYCOTTS
CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES
CIVIL SOCIETY
CIVIL WAR
CLAN CONFLICTS
COLD WAR
COMBAT
COMBATANTS
COMMUNITIES
CONFLICT
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
CONFLICT MEDIATION
CONFLICT OVER CONTROL
CONFLICT PREVENTION
CRIMINALITY
CRISES
CYCLE OF VIOLENCE
DEMOBILIZATION
DETERRENCE
DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE
DISARMAMENT
DISPUTES
ECONOMIC AID
ELECTIONS
FAMILIES
FOOD AID
FOREIGN AID
GENDER EQUALITY
HORN OF AFRICA
HUMAN RIGHTS
IBRD
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
LEADERSHIP
MILITARIZATION
MILITIA
MILITIAS
NATIONS
NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENTS
NEGOTIATIONS
PEACE
PEACE PROCESS
PEACE PROCESSES
RECONCILIATION
RECONSTRUCTION
REFUGEES
RULE OF LAW
SECURITY FORCES
SOCIALLY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
TERRORISM
UNDP
VICTIMS
VIOLENCE
VIOLENT CONFLICT
VIOLENT CONFLICTS
WAR
WAR ECONOMIES
WARFARE
WEAPONS
spellingShingle AID COORDINATION
ALLIANCES
AMMUNITION
ARMED CONFLICT
ARMED CONFLICTS
ARMIES
ATROCITIES
AUTHORITY
BOUNDARIES
BOYCOTTS
CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES
CIVIL SOCIETY
CIVIL WAR
CLAN CONFLICTS
COLD WAR
COMBAT
COMBATANTS
COMMUNITIES
CONFLICT
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
CONFLICT MEDIATION
CONFLICT OVER CONTROL
CONFLICT PREVENTION
CRIMINALITY
CRISES
CYCLE OF VIOLENCE
DEMOBILIZATION
DETERRENCE
DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE
DISARMAMENT
DISPUTES
ECONOMIC AID
ELECTIONS
FAMILIES
FOOD AID
FOREIGN AID
GENDER EQUALITY
HORN OF AFRICA
HUMAN RIGHTS
IBRD
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
LEADERSHIP
MILITARIZATION
MILITIA
MILITIAS
NATIONS
NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENTS
NEGOTIATIONS
PEACE
PEACE PROCESS
PEACE PROCESSES
RECONCILIATION
RECONSTRUCTION
REFUGEES
RULE OF LAW
SECURITY FORCES
SOCIALLY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
TERRORISM
UNDP
VICTIMS
VIOLENCE
VIOLENT CONFLICT
VIOLENT CONFLICTS
WAR
WAR ECONOMIES
WARFARE
WEAPONS
World Bank
Conflict in Somalia : Drivers and Dynamics
description Somalia's history of conflict reveals an intriguing paradox--namely, many of the factors that drive armed conflict have also played a role in managing, ending, or preventing war. For instance, clannism and clan cleavages are a source of conflict--used to divide Somalis, fuel endemic clashes over resources and power, used to mobilize militia, and make broad-based reconciliation very difficult to achieve. Most of Somalia's armed clashes since 1991 have been fought in the name of clan, often as a result of political leaders manipulating clannism for their own purposes. Yet traditional clan elders are a primary source of conflict mediation, clan-based customary law serves as the basis for negotiated settlements, and clan-based blood-payment groups serve as a deterrent to armed violence. Likewise, the central state is conventionally viewed as a potential source of rule of law and peaceful allocation of resources, but, at times in Somalia's past, it was a source of violence and predation. Economic interests, too, have had an ambiguous relationship with conflict in Somalia. In some places, war economies have emerged that perpetuate violence and lawlessness, while in other instances business interests have been a driving force for peace, stability, and rule of law. Understanding under what circumstances these and other variables serve as escalators or de-escalators of violence-or both-is the subtle challenge conflict analysis faces in the Somali context. To prepare the ground for providing effective and sensitive reconstruction and development assistance to Somalia that contributes to conflict de-escalation, this analysis examines the key conflict factors at play in the three main regions of the country and recommends avoiding fueling clan-group competition, encouraging and supporting cross-clan or clan-neutral activities and partners, helping to bridge groups, and understanding the role of religion. A number of pertinent recommendations are also made towards fostering sensitive economic development and nonpartisan governance.
format Economic & Sector Work :: Social Analysis
author World Bank
author_facet World Bank
author_sort World Bank
title Conflict in Somalia : Drivers and Dynamics
title_short Conflict in Somalia : Drivers and Dynamics
title_full Conflict in Somalia : Drivers and Dynamics
title_fullStr Conflict in Somalia : Drivers and Dynamics
title_full_unstemmed Conflict in Somalia : Drivers and Dynamics
title_sort conflict in somalia : drivers and dynamics
publisher Washington, DC
publishDate 2012
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2005/01/6763128/conflict-somalia-drivers-dynamics
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/8476
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