The Role Of The Traditional Somali Model In Peacemaking: Why Reconciliation Was Maintained In Somaliland, But Disintegrated In The South Of Somalia

This study compares and analyzes traditional elders' mediation efforts in Somalia and Somaliland from 1991 to the present. A thorough study of the two conflicts reveals that the conflict in the South of Somalia was far more intractable than in the North.This comparative thesis examines peacemaking processes used by traditional elders in the North today in their efforts to build peace while the greater parts of Somalia remain chaotic. The application of a traditional peacemaking mechanism reduces violence and builds peace in Northern Somalia. Most contemporary research on the conflict in Somalia has focused much on the traditional conflict management in the North,overlooking or misunderstanding the southern traditional elders' role in peacemaking.The purpose of this research is to identify the problems the elders in the South face in this regard and to present an alternative to the existing problem.