INTERGOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY ON DEVELOPMENT MECHANISMS AND THE MANAGEMENT OF CONFLICTS IN SOMALIA, 2013–2024
Abstract
Purpose of the study: This study analysed the contribution of Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) mechanisms to the management of conflict in Somalia between 2013 and 2024, evaluating the key aspects of these mechanisms, examining their effectiveness and assessing their implications for conflict management.
Problem statement: Somalia has experienced protracted conflict driven by clan competition, political fragmentation, violent extremism and weak institutional structures. IGAD has intervened repeatedly through mediation, governance support, peacekeeping coordination and early warning, yet evaluations have reported limited coordination, insufficient local involvement and constrained implementation capacity. Existing scholarship is concentrated on the transitional period preceding 2013 and relies predominantly on documentary reconstruction, leaving the more recent decade and the perspectives of practitioners and beneficiaries under documented.
Methodology: A descriptive qualitative design was adopted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 89 purposively selected respondents comprising IGAD officials, Somali government representatives, diplomats and civil society actors, supplemented by analysis of IGAD reports, policy documents and institutional records. Data were analysed thematically and were guided by Conflict Transformation Theory and Regional Security Complex Theory. Validity was addressed through triangulation across respondent categories and documentary sources.
Results of the study: IGAD deploys a multi-layered repertoire of mechanisms encompassing diplomatic engagement and mediation, governance and institutional support, coordination with regional and international partners, community dialogue, technical assistance and early warning. Diplomatic engagement and mediation were identified by all respondents as the principal mechanism. Effectiveness followed a gradient from mechanisms drawing on political authority to those requiring sustained field implementation: diplomatic mediation was rated highly effective by 55 per cent of respondents and international coordination by 52 per cent, while early warning was rated highly effective by only 21 per cent. The mechanisms were associated with reduced conflict intensity, strengthened governance and improved regional stability, but were constrained by political interference, financial and logistical limitations, insecurity, weak monitoring systems and inadequate public communication.
Conclusion and policy recommendation: The performance of IGAD mechanisms is explained less by programme design than by the structural position the organisation occupies, since the strongest-performing mechanisms required resources IGAD possesses while the weakest required predictable financing, secure field access and rapid decision-making authority that it does not control. The study recommends strengthening monitoring and evaluation frameworks, deepening collaboration with Somali authorities and regional partners, diversifying the financing base, expanding public communication, institutionalising security contingency planning, and establishing a formal channel for incorporating community-level perspectives into programme review.
Keywords: IGAD, conflict management, Somalia, regional peacebuilding, mediation, early warning
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