Turning rhetoric into reality in Somalia

Following the second London conference on Somalia, Kathryn Achilles assesses the conference’s outcomes and asks what next for Somalia.

In May the international community met in London for a second time to discuss Somalia’s future. Delegates examined and endorsed the Federal Government of Somalia’s plans for state rebuilding in a number of sectors and reiterated the need for continued partnership between the Somali authorities and the international community. While the enthusiasm with which Somalia’s state building needs were discussed presents a welcome step in Somalia’s reconstruction, significant work remains to elaborate the specifics of the Federal Government’s plans in each sector.  The key test will be in the implementation of these commitments from all parties, including Somalia’s regional authorities, and the involvement of Somali civil society.

As Somalia’s Provisional Constitution provides for a federal system of government, the regional authorities in Puntland and in southern and central Somalia will be key partners in developing and implementing Federal Government plans. The London conference communique included an encouragement to the regions to work closely with the Federal Government to form a “cohesive national polity” and to enhance the political process.  In practice, however, the Federal Government and regional authorities have been slow to cooperate.  Planning for future relations and interaction on the key issues of security and justice is critical for the future stability of Somalia. 

The absence of some regional authorities and of civil society from the conference and its communique on issues of security and justice is therefore noteworthy.  As key partners in the design and rebuilding of functional security and governance systems their role is critical to the success or failure of state rebuilding initiatives in the country. As attention turns to the future following the London conference it is vital that regional authorities and Somali civil society is involved in the development of plans to ensure they are genuinely national in scope and ambition and reflective of people’s needs.

In discussions on security sector reform, the conference did acknowledge the importance of improving security in order to facilitate sustainable state building efforts. It also recognised the role of accountability, inclusivity, proportionality and sustainability as principles underpinning reform. The challenge before the Federal Government and regional authorities is to develop a national plan based on these principles. This should elaborate their respective roles and the division of responsibility between them to deliver security and justice services to Somalis and thereby help shore-up areas of relative peace and stability.  Civil society can and should play a key role in supporting and developing these reforms, providing feedback and holding authorities to account.

Reforming the security and justice sectors will be a significant challenge that should not be underestimated. It will take the combined commitment and engagement of authorities, civil society and the international community to develop sustainable and effective security and justice institutions that are fit for purpose. The authorities must look carefully at how to integrate a complex system of clan-based militias into a national security framework in a way which does not undermine their national character and which ends a primary allegiance to clan. Vetting of armed groups and their individual members should form part of the recruitment and integration process with allegations of abuse investigated and prosecutions pursued. This will require significant investment and development of the judicial and penal systems within a genuine and broad-based process of national reconciliation. Within this context it is regrettable that national reconciliation, long a call of Somali civil society, was not included in the conference communique.

Plans for the security sector must also take a sober view of the continued territorial control and operational capacity of al Shabaab, which retains the ability to carry out large scale operations, as demonstrated by recent attacks on the courts and government convoys in Mogadishu. The government continues to face a formidable challenge and has yet to retake significant areas of territory back from them. These challenges are not the responsibility of the federal authorities alone and more work needs to be done to build credible relations between the centre and the regions for the success of Somalia’s state building plans. This requires engagement and commitment from both the federal and regional authorities and support from the international community. A national reconciliation process could assist in building such relationships and help to address the significant trust deficit between various regions and the centre and between various clans. If left unaddressed this carries with it a risk of renewed clan-based or localised conflict as disputes over power and control arise.

The commitments made in London to address Somalia’s myriad problems are welcome. Somali authorities at all levels should embrace the goodwill and momentum behind efforts to rebuild Somalia. This means engaging with each other and with Somali civil society in an open and transparent process to elaborate specific plans for security and justice sector reform and a broad-based process of national reconciliation.

Read Saferworld's recommendations going into the Somalia conference.

Read more about our work in Somalia.

“As attention turns to the future following the London conference it is vital that regional authorities and Somali civil society is involved in the development of plans”

Kathyrn Achilles