Description
An almost 30-year period of conflict in Somalia calls for a revision of some fundamental notions of this conflict - primarily, the De-Facto states notion. At present, in Somalia there are two political entities, Somaliland and Puntland, which, although unrecognized by the UN managed to establish their own de-facto sovereignty. This research aims to assess the efforts made by Somaliland and Puntland in terms of securing sovereignty and legitimacy in attempt to sustain peace.
The problem of Somalia conflict, often referred to as State Failure issue has attracted attention of scholars and practitioners in the 1990s. An almost 30-year period of unsuccessful attempts to resolve, or to create a viable theoretical and practical framework to address conflict in Somalia calls for a revision of fundamental notions of this conflict.
This research addresses the viability of De-Facto states of Somaliland and Puntland on the territory of failed state of Somalia with a focus on domestic political actors – Somali ethnic clans, which act as stakeholders in the whole process of maintaining legitimacy and sovereignty for these two de-facto states. To understand how exactly these domestic actors control and manage the security, sovereignty and legitimacy frameworks in Somaliland and Puntland, 5 aspects shall be assessed: clan interests in the current Somali conflict, relations with other clans and overall influence on the ongoing conflict, clan’s capacity to influence the conflict positively\negatively, clan’s peace agenda (where applicable), and incentives for the clan to progress to peace (where applicable).
Structurally, this research shall provide a brief overview of the Somalia conflict and the dynamics of Somaliland and Puntland cases, and then address their domestic stakeholders (actors) assessment. The research aims to conclude with recommendations for policymaking and further research on de-facto states.
