FBA in Somalia

For almost 40 years, Somalia has been plagued by violence and insurgency. But Somalia is now rebuilding itself. FBA promotes the participation of women and youth in the ongoing peace processes.

When the military regime led by Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991, Somalia fell apart. The country has been devoid of centralized government control since then.

In 2012, however, a federal government was installed in the capital city of Mogadishu, and a number of federal member states were established. Government forces, with support from troops from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), are fighting to recapture large parts of south and central Somalia still controlled by the Al-Shabaab terrorist group.

The aim is to reduce the influence of Al-Shabaab, so that AMISOM can eventually hand over all security responsibilities to the Somali state.

There are also local conflicts in various parts of Somalia over access to water and grazing land. The impacts of climate change could further aggravate the situation.

Within the framework of Sweden’s development cooperation with Somalia, FBA is focused on the following areas:

Women, peace and security
Large groups in the Somali society lack social, economic and political influence. FBA strives to improve the conditions for particularly women and youth’s participation in peacebuilding and statebuilding processes. For example, FBA supports the Somali Electoral Commission and their preparations for the general elections scheduled for 2020–2021. The aim is to achieve women and men’s equal participation in elections.

Security sector reform
Somalia has been lacking a unified security sector for decades. Public trust in security actors is low, and both militias and public security providers have been accused of abusing civilians. FBA strives to enable inclusive and sustainable security sector reform in Somalia, with the objective to construct a well-functioning security sector capable of exercising control of the entire state territory, and guaranteeing the safety of all citizens.

Click here to read the entire strategy for Sweden’s development cooperation with Somalia 2018–2022.

Read more

Somalia to be rebuilt after 20 years of war

Photo: UN Photo/Stuart Price

MORE FROM HOME

Pathways for peacebuilding in areas controlled by de facto authorites

What are the challenges and opportunities for peacebuilding actors working in areas controlled by non-state actors or informal institutions? To shed light on this important question, FBA recently organized a scientific workshop on “De facto authorities, service provisioning and gender” in Stockholm. Twelve researchers presented work related to de facto authorities and engaged in dialogue with FBA’s practitioners.

2024-12-12 15:53

Read our publications

Cover of Beyond Vulnerability: A Guidance Note on Youth, Climate, Peace and Security. A group of young people photographed from above walking in a row across a pocture of trees. Below is the title and the logos of UNDPA, Sipri and FBA.

Beyond Vulnerability: A Guidance Note on Youth, Climate, Peace and Security

In recent years, young people’s crucial role in preventing conflict and maintaining peace has become increasingly recognized as the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda has gained momentum. At the same time, the Climate, Peace and Security (CPS) field is developing rapidly at the research and policy levels. CPS is also increasingly becoming an entry point for programming; recognizing the interactions between climate change and existing vulnerabilities, which compound risks of insecurity, including violent conflict and the erosion of social cohesion.

Documents
Attributes
Author:
UNDP, Sipri, FBA
Year:
2024

On international deployment

THE FBA BLOG

Abstract silhouettes of people, the backdrop is a Ukrainian flag.

The War in Ukraine – How FBA is Assisting

FBA has both increased and adapted its work in Ukraine in the wake of Russia's invasion.

FBA in Ukraine
Klara Grenhagen works as a specialist at FBA's Africa unit with a focus on dialogue, reconciliation and peace processes.

Klara Grenhagen

Klara Grenhagen works as a specialist at FBA's Africa unit with a focus on dialogue, reconciliation and peace processes.

More about our experts
Cloesup photo of the top half of a globe

Our partner countries

FBA is part of Sweden’s development aid within the area of peace and security

Read more about the countries where we work