When one mentions Somalia, images of Civil War, unrest and chaos tend to come to the fore. However, as is the case with all generalisations they do not hold true. To understand why Somalia finds itself in its current state, we must delve into the country's illustrious history. However, this article will not be an ode to Somalia's former sultanates, or lavish empires but it will seek to elucidate the key misunderstanding that has rendered a large portion of the global response to Somalia's woes wholly inappropriate.
One must only look as far as the Central African Republic (CAR) to see why colonially prescribed boundaries add obstacles to a country's development. The poor state has been saddled with a landlocked landmass, religious zeal and 80 ethnic groups which are governed under the jurisdiction of 71 sub-prefectures. This has led to the CAR coming 185th out of 187 countries in the most recent publication of the UN Human Development Index. The story is similar in Somalia. The combined colonial legacy of Italy, France and Britain has left Somalia as a jigsaw of various clans and tribes that are all failing to function in a system that is ill suited to the needs of Somalia.
Somalia consists of five primary clans: the Dir, Hawiye, Darood, Isaaq and a combination of the Digil and Mirfile. The clan system has played many roles in the story of Somalia, it has been the hero and the villain, but what is certain is one cannot seek to remedy the malfunctioning state without taking the clan family system into account. Of course, to finely tuned western cerebral systems, the very mention of tribes or clans seems resigned to history books or museums. However, to graduate from a very ineffective approach to Somalia, we must start viewing alternative social systems as just that, alternatives, rather than mistakes. The clan system in Somalia is based on two key principles: Xeer (contracts) and Tol (kinships). Together, they formed the basis of prosperous civilisations between the 13th and 18th Century.
Historians who point out the fact that tribal systems have caused more conflict than nation states are mistaken. The western notion of a nation state is very much akin to the Somalian notion of a Clan (albeit a more fluid one). Conflicts did not arise organically out of "clan-istic" fervour any more than those fought for nationalistic pride in the West. In fact "the reason for division or unity depended on interests, as perceived, at different points in time e.g. competition over grazing or water or commercial control of towns." (Lewis, 2008). Sound familiar? Many of the great wars fought amongst Western powers were fought for commerce or resources, a clear example are the Anglo-Dutch wars of the 17th and 18th Centuries.
Since the collapse of the Somali nation state, roughly 2 decades ago, the roots of progress have appeared in line with the presence of these clans. Somaliland is the most pertinent example. Furthermore, wherever there is a lack of any international "top down" interference, pockets of Somali Society have been allowed to assert the very social fabric which prevented alien forms of society from functioning in Somalia throughout the post-colonial period. The biggest examples of the failure of the aforementioned top down approach remain the US and UN interventions in the early 1990s which promoted a unitary and centralised government, wholly unsuited to the diverse political landscape.
Of course, identity politics also possesses an overtly ugly head. However, it is the presence of a central state that has allowed factional politicians to use their clans as a currency in garnering votes. "Clanism" has also affected the security situation as Somali Police forces often refuse to serve in other parts of the country. It is a form of society that has been used as an excuse for many crimes that should not be tolerated but in itself, there is nothing that renders clanism more or less useful than a nation state.
The problem that Somalia faces is complex in nature and one that requires nuanced action. One must balance the implementation of the bicameral parliament with the clan system, which prescribe different levels of authority and power. However, the answer lies with taking further account of Somalia's intricate social fabric rather than carrying on in spite of it.
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