Conflict Analysis Of Somalia

Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject Politics - Region: Africa, grade: 1,0, University of Applied Sciences Dresden, language: English, abstract: The American business magazine ,,Forbes” regularly publishes among various rankings „The world’s most dangerous countries” based on crime rates, police protection, civil unrest, terrorism risk, kidnapping threat and geopolitical stability. In 2012, the top three were: Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia. The third most dangerous country, Somalia, is also on the top of many other rankings; for instance it holds the first place of Forbes ,,Most Corrupt Countries” ahead of North Korea since 2008.56) For 22 years, there hasn’t been any established government and even international interventions by the UNO and the USA in order to stop the civil war and restore peace failed; but what are the conflicts in Somalia actually about? This paper is going to explain the Somali civil war, it’s roots and future prospects. Therefore, it is divided in seven main chapters: geographical aspect, historical aspect, ethnic aspect, political aspect, social aspect, economic aspect and future prospects. Each aspect illustrates the particular part of the conflict and after the future prospects based on a personal assessment there will be a summary of the conflict’s main issues. Since there is neither an established government nor any other official registration it is hard to find reliable data and statistics. Most of them are based on estimates and cannot keep up with the fast changes. That is why the figures in this paper may not be absolutely correct but nevertheless they can give a general idea of Somalia’s situation.

For the last thirty years Somalia has experienced violence and upheaval. Today, the international effort to help Somalis build a federal state and achieve stability is challenged by deep-rooted grievances, local conflicts and a powerful insurgency led by Al-Shabaab. Consisting of forty-four chapters by conflict resolution specialists and the world's leading experts on Somalia, this volume constitutes a unique compendium of insights into the insurgency and its impact. War and Peace in Somalia explores the legacies of past violence, especially impunity, illegitimacy and exclusion, and the need for national reconciliation. Drawing on decades of experience and months of field research, the contributors throw light on diverse forms of local conflict, its interrelated causes, and what can be done about it. They share original research on the role of women, men and youth in the conflict, and present new insight into Al-Shabaab--particularly the group's multi-dimensional strategy, the motivations of its fighters, their foreign links, and the prospects for engagement. This ground-breaking volume illuminates the war in Somalia, and sets out what can and should be done to bring it to an end. For policymakers and researchers covering Somalia, East Africa, extremism or conflict resolution, this is a must-read.

This paper aims at identifying practical ways in which NGOs might contribute to the peacemaking process in Somalia and Somaliland. It covers the Somali Civil War up to October 1993. The author believes that Somalia has become a testing ground for the UN, the U.S. and NGOs, a theatre in which many ideas pertinent to a possible future world order are being worked out. He believes the heart of the challenge is how humanitarian agencies learn to respond to the results of armed conflict in complex and protracted emergencies. A wide range of suggestions is offered to NGOs. They need to recognise that peacemaking is a long term process and should consider sponsoring research into the causes and impact of the Somali conflict. UN efforts have failed because they represented external intervention rather than a Somali initiative, so NGOs may need to get involved on a political level. They could assist by promoting "peacemaking" rather than "peace enforcement", for example, by advocating an enquiry into human rights abuses by UN personnel and by Somali warlords. Peacemaking needs to address the underlying causes of conflict- in Somalia land ownership and land use is a significant source of conflict and this is another area where NGOs could usefully focus resources. Finally, the author considers that peacemaking and development can usefully be seen as similar processes, both of which benefit from a participatory approach. Thus NGOs have an important role to play in promoting local initiatives.

Case Study from the year 2020 in the subject Politics - Region: Africa, grade: A, , language: English, abstract: Armed conflicts are as old as man. This is true for Somalia which shall be discussed in detail in this paper. Understanding the nature and definition of armed conflict, dates to the Conference of the National Red Cross held in 1946, the precursor to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 that specified the essence of armed conflicts. According to one definition of armed conflict based on the Doctrine of International humanitarian law, it is ‘the use of weapons as an instrument to harm persons and /or property in order to overcome the opposing party’. Arising from this doctrine is the understanding is that an armed conflict is one in which there is intervention by armed forces. Arising from this brief definition of an armed conflict, this paper, in the next section, we will examine and evaluate the elements of an armed conflict with a special focus on Somalia- a nation that has been in the throes of armed conflict for about three decades now. In the next section, an assessment of the elements of armed conflict in the Somalia civil war will be attempted.

A B S T R A C T ABDI, MOHAMED A: BA WHITTIER COLLEGE, 1966 MPA SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY, 1969 MPH FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY, 1996 CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND NATION-BUILDING IN SOMALIA Publication Scheduled for January 2012 The research concentrated on the current as well as the past quagmire of the Somali conflict. Political, social and economic triggers have been identified to resolve or reduce violent conflict and disorder. The research used primary as well as secondary sources to study the issues and explore the problems inherent in an environment of scarce resources. Confrontations between the state and society were brought to a higher level of violence since the late 1970s following the Somali-Ethiopian war. The author explored avenues for reconciliation and nation-building and introduced several models as possible strategies for nation-building. Conclusively, a home-grown, traditional mechanisms model was recommended which entails the following policy prescriptions to achieve long-lasting peace and security for Somalia: 1. Governance structures of law and order. 2. Resources: De-escalating conflicts by opening up negotiating opportunities of land and property. 3. Complete demilitarization of society. 4. International cooperation. A plan by the international community to reconstruct and rehabilitate Somalia is essential if we have to avoid a relapse into a chaotic, violent situation in Somalia.

Explores the experiences of women in Somalia and how they have survived the trauma of war.

This book illustrates how diasporic media can re-create conflict by transporting conflict dynamics and manifesting them back in to diaspora communities. Media, Diaspora and Conflict demonstrates a previously overlooked complexity in diasporic media by using the Somali conflict as a case study to indicate how the media explores conflict in respective homelands, in addition to revealing its participatory role in transnationalising conflicts. By illustrating the familiar narratives associated with diasporic media and utilising a combination of Somali websites and television, focus groups with diaspora community members and interviews with journalists and producers, the potentials and restrictions of diasporic media and how it relates to homelands in conflict are explored.