By Sumaya Muhumed Ahmed
Introduction
Peacebuilding in Somalia has been an arduous and deeply fractured process, shaped by decades of civil conflict and institutional collapse. Formal negotiations have historically been dominated by male political and clan elites, often sidelining women from structured decision-making spaces. Yet beyond these high-level arenas, Somali women have consistently sustained communities through mediation, social mobilisation and reconciliation efforts.
From resolving inter-clan tensions to organising civic advocacy and community resilience initiatives, women have acted as negotiators, educators and stabilising actors across multiple levels of society. However, their influence remains largely informal and insufficiently embedded within formal governance structures.
This article examines the evolving role of Somali women in peacebuilding and argues that durable peace depends not only on participation, but on embedding women’s authority within institutional decision-making frameworks.
- Traditional Peacebuilding Roles of Somali Women
Historically, Somali women have played vital peacebuilding roles through culturally embedded mechanisms such as family mediation, inter-clan dialogue and oral traditions.
Although excluded from formal clan councils (shir), women occupy a unique social position due to their multiple clan affiliations acquired through birth and marriage. This cross-clan identity allows them to act as intermediaries during moments of tension, privately urging elders towards compromise and restraint. In many localised conflicts, women’s informal engagement has reopened channels of communication before violence escalated.
Research documented by organisations such as Conciliation Resources and Peace Insight highlights how women’s behind-the-scenes diplomacy has prevented retaliation cycles and encouraged reconciliation.
Poetry, particularly buraanbur, has also functioned as a cultural tool for peace advocacy. Through poetic performance, women publicly condemn violence and appeal to collective responsibility, reinforcing social cohesion through moral authority rather than formal power.
However, the same clan system that enables women to mediate across divides simultaneously restricts their formal political legitimacy. Somali political representation is organised along patrilineal lines, institutionalising male dominance within decision-making bodies. Women’s dual-clan affiliation, while socially advantageous for mediation, often renders them politically marginal within structured negotiations. This structural contradiction illustrates that women’s contributions are indispensable yet insufficiently institutionalised. - Women’s Organisations and Civil Society Engagement
In response to exclusion from formal political arenas, Somali women have mobilised through various civil society organisations to drive peacebuilding and community resilience. While there
are countless women-led groups working across the country, the following organisations are notable examples of this work:
The IIDA Women’s Development Organisation, founded in 1991, has played a pioneering role in linking peacebuilding with women’s empowerment and civic accountability. Through community mobilisation, disarmament awareness and civic education programmes, IIDA strengthened local peace initiatives during some of Somalia’s most volatile periods.
Similarly, the HINNA Women Organization, established in 2003, integrates humanitarian response with reconciliation initiatives. By addressing gender-based violence, livelihood support and post-conflict recovery, HINNA demonstrates how peacebuilding must be intertwined with socio-economic stability.
The Somali Women Solidarity Organization (SWSO), operating primarily in Lower Jubba, promotes women’s participation in decision-making and grassroots mediation while partnering with international actors such as UNHCR and Saferworld.
More recently, the Somali Women’s Peace and Security Centre (SWPS Centre), established in 2020, has focused on strengthening women’s leadership capacity, advocacy skills and participation in governance processes.
These organisations, among many others, illustrate women’s agency in shaping peace from below. However, reliance on donor-funded civil society initiatives raises important concerns about sustainability. When peacebuilding efforts remain dependent on external funding rather than embedded within state institutions, gains can become fragile. Without institutional reform, women’s contributions risk remaining project-based rather than structurally transformative. - National Strategies and International Partnership Programs
At the policy level, initiatives such as the Women, Peace and Protection Programme supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), aim to dismantle systemic barriers to women’s participation in peace and political processes. By strengthening protection frameworks and enhancing leadership capacity, these programmes align Somalia’s national priorities with the global Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.
Complementing these policy efforts, Somali Women’s Peace Networks have been established across multiple districts, demonstrating coordinated grassroots mobilisation. Through awareness campaigns, dialogue facilitation, and local reconciliation efforts, these networks have successfully begun to shift community-level perceptions regarding women’s leadership.
However, inclusion within national frameworks does not automatically equate to substantive influence. Women are frequently invited into negotiations only after core political agreements have already been determined by male elites. Such symbolic representation, lacking actual decision-making authority, risks reinforcing rather than transforming entrenched power hierarchies. Therefore, sustainable peace requires moving beyond mere quotas toward a genuine redistribution of political power. - Individual Leaders and National Change Agents
Prominent Somali women have also shaped peacebuilding trajectories through visionary leadership.
Hawa Aden Mohamed, founder of the Galkayo Education Centre for Peace and Development, linked education with conflict prevention by empowering displaced women and girls through skills training and advocacy.
Ilwad Elman has advanced civilian protection and gender-based violence prevention initiatives while engaging in global advocacy networks.
Asha Haji Elmi strengthened women’s political participation by establishing the “Sixth Clan” during the 2000 peace talks, ensuring formal representation for women in national reconciliation processes.
While these figures exemplify transformative leadership, focusing exclusively on exceptional individuals risks obscuring systemic inequalities that limit broader female participation. Sustainable peace requires normalising women’s leadership across institutions, rather than relying on a small number of high-profile advocates. - Challenges Facing Somali Women Peacebuilders
Despite measurable contributions, women peacebuilders face persistent structural and security challenges:
Under-representation in formal negotiations and political institutions
Cultural resistance rooted in patriarchal norms
Threats, intimidation and gender-based violence
Limited access to sustained funding and institutional protection
These barriers do not merely marginalise women; they undermine the legitimacy and inclusivity of peace processes themselves. - Evidence from Community Peace Initiatives
Community-level examples further demonstrate women’s practical impact. In districts such as Abudwak and Baidoa, women trained in mediation and non-violent conflict resolution have successfully prevented disputes from escalating into broader violence.
These grassroots interventions illustrate that peacebuilding in Somalia is not confined to elite negotiations. It is sustained daily through local dialogue and trust-building, areas in which women remain indispensable actors.
Yet the persistence of informal mediation also highlights a critical gap: women’s labour sustains peace, but rarely reshapes the institutional structures that govern it. - Policy Recommendations
To strengthen and institutionalise women’s peacebuilding roles:- Institutionalise Minimum Representation Thresholds
The Federal Government and Federal Member States should formalise and enforce minimum representation quotas for women in all peace negotiations, reconciliation forums and security sector reform processes. Monitoring mechanisms must be established to ensure compliance beyond symbolic participation. - Establish Protection Frameworks for Women Peacebuilders
National and local authorities, in collaboration with civil society, should develop protection mechanisms addressing threats, intimidation and gender-based violence targeting women engaged in mediation and political advocacy. - Ensure Predictable and Long-Term Funding
International partners and national institutions should transition from short-term project funding toward multi-year institutional support for women-led peacebuilding organisations, ensuring sustainability and local ownership. - Reform Clan-Based Political Gatekeeping Structures
Inclusive governance reforms should address the limitations of the 4.5 clan-based framework by integrating gender-responsive mechanisms that recognise women as political actors beyond patrilineal clan identity.
- Institutionalise Minimum Representation Thresholds
- Conclusion
Somali women have long functioned as central actors in mediation, civil society mobilisation and grassroots reconciliation. Their contributions have sustained local stability and strengthened social cohesion across fragmented political landscapes.
However, lasting peace cannot rely solely on informal influence or symbolic inclusion. It requires institutional arrangements that guarantee women substantive decision-making power within national and local governance structures.
Embedding women’s leadership within formal political processes is therefore not simply a matter of representation; it is essential for building an inclusive and resilient Somali state.