Building Peace and the State in Somaliland: The Factors of Success
Somalia has not had a central state apparatus since 1991 and is generally viewed as anarchic and war-torn. This assertion is only true for central and southern Somalia, however. In the northwest, Somaliland declared independence in 1991 and set about building what has become a genuine democracy that enjoys relative peace and stability. The country arrived at its current point through a prolonged peace-building process that was accompanied by measures aimed at strengthening the state. Its peacebuilding process during the 1990s was successful because of five key factors: shared identity, leadership, inclusiveness, local ownership, and innovation rooted in tradition. We can extrapolate several important lessons about how postconflict societies can return to peace and stability from Somaliland's experience.
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