The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation

UIC was successful in gaining the support of the population and thought
such support would enable them convince international community that
they were a force to be reckoned with. They restored justice through
the adoption of Sharia Law, peace and order, and by getting rid of the
rule of warlords and their armed militias. Because of this, they had the
full support of Somalis inside and outside of Somalia. They also provided
social services, including free education and health care services to wid -
ows and orphans who were among the most vulnerable groups. In six
months, the UIC were able to delivered tangible results. The people in
Mogadishu were able to walk through the city without having to pass
the warlords’ checkpoints, and without fear. Mogadishu’s port and airport
which had once been controlled by the warlords and had been closed
down, were re-opened. Because of these results, the UIC had the
full approval and support of the public, who were tired of the warlords
and their armed militias’ oppression. Due to the stability and order cre -
ated by the UIC, many Somalis in the diaspora returned to Mogadishu
and were able to get their property back with the support of UIC. The
era led by UIC was a promising period that offered alternative solutions
to Somalia’s protracted anarchy, through some sort of governance, albeit
based on Sharia Law, that sought to oust warlords, protect civilians from
violence and bring law and order in the capital city and beyond. The UIC
therefore considered themselves the rightful actors in the restoration of
peace, justice, and order in lawless Somalia.
Ethiopia, a neighbouring country which has welcomed large numbers of
Somali refugees, on one hand hosted some meetings in the 1990s intended
to help warring groups to reconcile, but on the other remained a
“spoiler” in war-torn Somalia. Ethiopia provided military and political support
to some of the warlords who brought destruction and anarchy since
the collapse of the Somali state in 1990s, and militarily invaded Somalia
in December 2006, when it saw the UIC as a threat to its “national security”.
This invasion brought to an end the grassroots and religious
mov ement of the UIC. One mistake the UIC made was their failure to
recognize the TFG, which cost them the opportunity to take Somalia
onto the right path of peace and recovery. As a result, when some members
of the UIC threatened Ethiopia with military attacks and invasion,
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