Deradicalization in Somalia : traditional authorities and counterinsurgency

Bulletin FrancoPaix mai 2020 english

Par Linnéa Gelot
Bulletin du Centre FrancoPaix en résolution des conflits et missions de paix | Vol. 5 no. 5

  • There is a need for Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) processes to emphasize the social dimensions of reintegration and to develop more context sensitive DDR programmes that put greater emphasis on local ownership.
  • In order to make DDR suitable to dealing with armed Islamist groups,
  • such as Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, traditional authorities and other societal actors have taken up important roles in deradicalization work.
  • Due to insufficient governance by national and international actors
  • where reintegration of Islamist armed movements takes place, local elites, community leaders and traditional authorities play significant roles as local power brokers.
  • Traditionnal authorities have important opinion-shaping roles and influence the willingness of clan networks and communities to support reintegration of former al-Shabaab combatants and non-combatants.
  • International organizations cannot control the deradicalization narratives among local non-state actors. Traditional authorities do not simply amplify international organization's peacebuilding narratives.
  • Societal support, networks and kinship relations are paramount for reintegration of former combatants.

May 2020
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