The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation

The on-going conflict in Somalia is a product of many factors including
colonialism and its legacy, the post-independence era, the military gov -
ernment and its militarization project, and the Cold War. Thus, in order
to understand the causes of the current political instability in Somalia, it
is essential to revisit past historical events in Somalia. Doing so will enable
both national and international actors to come up with solutions
that will address the root causes of the Somali conflict. This report will
discuss the ways in which different events have led to the political di -
sas ter which Somalia has undergone, Somali women’s experiences of
colonialism, the post-independence era under Siad Barre’s military gov -
ernment, the collapse of the state, the on-going violence, the peacebuilding
processes, and the nation-rebuilding efforts, which were
supported by the international community. It will also assess ways in
which Somali women are marginalized in the clan system. In the follow -
ing section of the paper, I will touch on factors that have led to the protracted
militarized violence in Somalia and their gendered impacts. They
include the country’s colonial history, its independence years, the eras
of military rule, and the processes of peace and nation building.
Colonialism as a factor that led
to political disintegration and civil war
The primary goal of the colonial project was to enable colonial powers
to exploit the colony’s resources, and Somalia suffered politically and
economically under colonial rule. However, after fifty years of independence,
colonial policies continue to haunt Somalia. Colonialism left indelible
scars, which have perpetuated Somalia’s socio-economic and
political insecurity, and indirectly contributed to the on-going militarized
violence. These insecurities have paved the way for the political disintegration
and the protracted militarized violence which continue to trouble
Somalia, even today. To grasp the effects of colonialism on Somalia and
its people, it is important to briefly discuss the powers that colonized
Somalia, the geographic locations they controlled, and their effects. The
following section of the paper will highlight the effects of colonial power
on Somalia and its people.
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