One of the most significant recent developments in the prolonged struggle against al-Shabaab in Somalia has been the success of military operations led by the Somali National Armed Forces and allied self-defence militias known as Ma’awisley. Ma’awisley—named after the colourful sarong many members wear—were provoked into action by various grievances towards al-Shabaab, including high taxation…

The current political dynamics seen in South West State (SWS) have been shaped by the state collapse of 1991, the civil war, and subsequent fraught efforts to establish a Federal Member State. Initial ‘bottom-up’ efforts by the Rahanweyn Resistance Army to form an autonomous entity ultimately collapsed into infighting, following which al-Shabaab established a significant presence in the area.…

Somalia grapples with unique cultural, societal, and structural hurdles that hinder women’s access to political processes. Despite introducing a non-legally binding quota, the most recent federal elections in 2022 saw a decline in women’s parliamentary representation. Beyond this, women’s leadership in public spaces remains inadequate at all levels. Patriarchal norms, gender stereotypes, and…

In recent history, political processes in Somalia have been dominated by a narrow set of political and business elites, armed actors and external players. Following the collapse of the government in 1991, there were a series of conferences in the 1990s that engaged primarily with political elites and armed actors. All of these conferences failed. The Somalia National Peace Conference (SNPC) in…

Galmudug ayaa ilaa iyo dhawaanahan loo arkayay dowlad-goboleed ay colaado iyo kala qeybsanaan badani ka jiraan, oo ay qaabeeyeen colaadihii laga dhaxlay dagaalladii sokeeye ee Soomaaliya. Khilaafyada joogtada ah ee beelaha ku saleysanaa ee u dhexeeyay kooxaha siyaasadeed awgood, waxaa lagu sifeeyay in aysan ka jirin awood siyaasadeed oo mideysan. Xitaa iyadoo gobollada kale ee Soomaaliya ay…

Galmudug state in Somalia was, until recently, seen as a region of conflict and fragmentation, shaped by the legacy of violence passed down from the Somali civil war. Due to the constant conflict between clan-based political groupings, it has been characterized as lacking any unified political authority. Even as other parts of Somalia established basic state structures and began forming what…

The phased process of conducting local government elections (LGEs) in Puntland has now commenced, building on the agreements made between various political actors— mainly the political associations, Puntland state and the Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission (TPEC). The initial phase involved voter registration, which was first concluded in Bari, Karkaar and Gardafui, with similar…

Inkastoo ay isbeddello waaweyn ka dheceen saaxadda siyaasadda Soomaaliya labaatankii sano ee lasoo dhaafay, arrin aan is beddelin ayaa ah ku tiirsanaanta nidaamka awood-qeybsiga beelaha, oo ay kamid tahay ‘4.5’. Inkastoo Dastuurka Kumeelgaarka ee Soomaaliya uusan dhigeyn wax tixraac ah oo la xiriira nidaamkan, haddana waxa uu hannaanka 4.5 go’aamiyaa saami qeybsiga beelaha ee Golaha Shacabka…

Amid the major changes to Somalia’s political landscape seen over the past two decades, an abiding feature has been the reliance on clan-based power-sharing models, including the ‘4.5’ formula. Despite the Somali Provisional Constitution containing no reference to the formula, it continues to determine the allocation of seats to clans in the Federal Parliament’s House of the People (HoP) and…

Tan iyo markii la sameeyay dowlad-goboleedka Jubaland 2012-kii, tobannaan sano oo colaado ah ka dib, xasilooni ayaa ka jirta qeybo kamid ah gobolka. Iyadoo ay side tahay, waxaa weli sii socda amni darrada, gacan ka haal siyaasad la xiriira, dhibaatooyinka bini’aadamnimo iyadoo uu jiro khilaaf soo noqnoqday oo u dhexeeya Jubaland iyo dowladda federaalka. Kala qeybsanaanta siyaasadeed ayaa ka…