Complex Solutions to Local Problems

Complex Solutions to Local Problems

Constructed Narratives and External Intervention in Somalia’s Crisis

By Jude Cocodia

Anthem Studies in Peace, Conflict and Development

This book questions the dominant narrative used in stereotyping Africa and the status of Al-Shabaab in Somalia’s quest for peace. It trumps up local alternatives to solving conflicts on the continent and avers that it is possible to revert to these local mechanisms of governance and conflict resolution as has been done in Somaliland with positive results.

PDF, 150 Pages

ISBN:9781839988202

November 2024

£25.00, $35.00

EPUB, 150 Pages

ISBN:9781839988219

November 2024

£25.00, $35.00

  • About This Book
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  • Table of Contents
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About This Book

This book is divided into three sections.
The first section examines the political relationships/structures of Somalia’s clans with focus on the pre–Siad Barre era. Somalis are largely one people further linked by one religion (Sunni Islam). Establishing their connectivity is crucial in view of this project’s contention that Indigenous methods of conflict resolution that have so far worked in the north (Somaliland and Puntland) can work in the south-central regions where conflict still pervades.
The next section examines the conflict in Somalia from events leading to the exit of Siad Barre (the point where the conflict really begins) and the growth of the Aristocratic/Gerontocratic system of government in the north to address the situation. It will capture the rise of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in the south-central areas whose aim was the stability of the regions under their control. The gains, gaps and setbacks of these Indigenous systems will also be discussed in this section.
The third section captures the intervention of Ethiopia and the United States in Somalia’s conflict and how the African Union (AU) was drawn into the fray to legitimize this intervention. Here the book deals with the following (research) question: Should the AU have gone ahead with the intervention plans of the US/Ethiopia that were directed at debilitating the ICU, or, should focus have been directed at supporting local structures put in place by the ICU to foster stability as had been done in the north by the clan elders? This section discusses the current state of affairs in view of what was forfeited.

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Author Information

Dr. Jude Cocodia is an associate professor of the Niger Delta University, Nigeria, and a research fellow of the University of the Free State, South Africa.

Series

Anthem Studies in Peace, Conflict and Development

Table of Contents

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