The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation

in areas controlled by the warlords, where they have faced violence, exploitation
and rape, especially in Mogadishu. Civilians who lived in such
zones could not resist the abuses and forced taxation imposed to cross
the illegal checkpoints set up by the warlords and their militiamen, for any -
one who attempted to do so them was severely punished or even killed.
This, however, does not mean that the civilians fully accepted the in jus -
tices committed against them. They resented warlords and their mili tias
and expressed their views through radio talks, peace rallies and poetry.
Women’s resistance to violence
There are a number of ways in which Somali women have resisted the
militarized violence in their communities. Whenever conflicts have arisen,
women serve as peace envoys known as “ergo nabadeed”, to
reach out to warring groups and encourage them to reconcile. In addition,
women in cross-clan marriages monitor the conflict occurring inside
and outside their community, sharing valuable information with each
other to prevent further bloodshed and build peace. They also use poetry
known as buraanbur to express their opposition to the conflict and their
support for peace. Through poetry, women discuss the ways in which
they have been affected by the violence, and the importance of peace,
by promoting unity and solidarity across clan boundaries. Interviews with
female poets in Puntland and Somaliland have revealed that poetry is
used to resist violence. Female poets pressured warring groups to reconcile,
while other women organized and held peace rallies and prayers
to avert violence and promote reconciliation, and launched direct appeals
to clan leaders and warring groups, to stop the violence. In the appeals,
women made it clear to their clan leaders that they will not morally or financially
support violence against another community. They also put
pressure on their spouses, sons and other male relatives not to participate
in the violence. On various occasions, women were able to avert
violence and maintain peace in their communities while in others, their
appeals to warring groups were ignored. Women’s efforts in averting
violence and building peace enabled communities such as Puntland and
Somaliland to achieve relative peace. Somali women’s peace-building
efforts have also saved many lives. In the mid-1990s, Mogadishu was
divided by the warlords, into two parts, separating relatives and friends.
149