Clans In Somalia Essay

There has been much written about the problems facing Somalia. Most sources point to three different areas of analysis. The most referenced source is the prevalence of clansmen-ship in Somalia. Second, many sources also describe how the lack of a central government has prevented the citizens from breaking out of their cycles of aggression. Lastly, sources also explain how interference from international actors have prevented development within the state.

Clans:

The first issue it list is the prevalence of clan allegiance over allegiance to the government. Many authors state that because there is no national government that can command the allegiance of its citizens, the people of Somalia have looked to clans as a form of government. The history

The collapse of the central state led to fragmentation and an economy of plunder that brought leaders into conflict with other leaders, sometimes from the same clan, vying for control of the same local area and resources. It was this struggle for territorial control, political power, and economic control of a region that prompted lowering the level of clan identities so as to mobilize support from the subclans.” (World Bank, 2005)

The authors also explains that while the clan/government allegiance struggle may be a large force for destabilization and conflict, clans have the potential to be one path to peace for Somalia. “Clans are a potential source for reconciliation because of their ability to shape relations between warring groups. Instead of focusing on differences, the common bonds of language, religion, traditions, and interclan marriage, can be pointed out to unite Somalis.” (World Bank,

They state that if a state is in good economic times and has strong control over its people, clans will simple weaken the institutions of said state. Clans who aren’t privileged enough to have access to government will also start to form long standing resentments for those clans that do. (Collins Kathleen. 2004) The process becomes unsustainable when the state is weak or has failed to establish economic prosperity. Under these circumstances, the pressure for clan leaders to provide for their clansmen are dramatically increased. This leads to a quick stripping of state and natural resources by politically high ranking clan members in an effort to secure said resources for their clans. (Collins Kathleen. 2004) These clans then use their newly received resources to solidify the power of themselves and fortify the areas that they control. This leads to a decentralization of power and eventual empty state coffers. These new power centers of clan leadership now no longer can extract anything else from the state so they turn to each other through an informal regime of clan bargaining. (Collins Kathleen.