Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu has experienced political conflicts after the constitutionally mandated term of the government led by President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed ended on February 8, 2021. SGEM convened a forum that addressed this political tension and invited experts to examine the situation from political, legal/constitutional, religious, and social perspectives.
This forum titled Maintaining Peace & Stability in Somalia while Resolving Electoral Issues was held on February 10, 2021. Panelists for this forum were Dr. Maryan Qasim, Senior Policy & Advocacy Advisor @unfpaSomalia, Dr. Afyare A. Elmi, Associate Professor of SecurityStudies at Qatar University’s Gulf Studies Program, Mahad Wasuge, Executive Director of Somali Public Agenda, Dr. Hodan Isse, Professor of Economics& Finance at the University of Buffalo School of Management, and Moderator & Discussant Fowsia Abdulkadir, Chairwoman & Founding Member of Somali Gender Equity Movement (SGEM).
The Panelists discussed the root causes of the political conflict, and how to minimize and address some of the underlying causes of the conflict during the electoral process. Participants highlighted Islamic perspectives on conflict resolution and some legal frameworks that can help defuse and/or prevent conflicts in times of elections. The forum also looked at the current political conflict from the peace and reconciliation perspective, and how it should be approached. The forum concluded with some recommendations/solutions to the Somali political stalemate.