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The Impact of War on Somali Men an Inception Study

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The Impact of War on Somali Men an Inception Study The Impact of War on Somali Men An Inception Study LOGiCA Study Series The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20433 All rights reserved First published May 2015 www.logica-wb.net This Study Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage discussion and exchange of ideas on gender and conflict related issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. Papers in this series are not formal publications of the World Bank. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The series is edited by the Learning on Gender and Conflict in Africa (LOGiCA) Program of the World Bank within the Social, Urban Rural and Resilience Global Practice. This paper has not undergone the review accorded to official World Bank publications. The findings, interpreta- tions and conclusions herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, its Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. To request further information on the series, please contact [email protected] LOGiCA. Papers are also avail- able on the LOGiCA website: www.logica-wb.net. Cover design and text layout: Duina Reyes-Bakovic Photo credits: Image 1: copyright Mark Bradbury, Togdheer elders sit to deliberate on matters affecting the community. Image 2: copyright CRD / Interpeace, Galgaduud 07-08. The Impact of War on Somali Men An Inception Study A Rift Valley Institute Research Project Funded by the LOGiCA trust fund of the World Bank THE RIFT VALLEY INSTITUTE (RVI) The Rift Valley Institute (www.riftvalley.net) works in Eastern and Central Africa to bring local knowledge to bear on social, political and economic development. THE NAIROBI FORUM The RVI Nairobi Forum is a venue for critical discussion of political, economic and social issues in the Horn of Africa, Eastern and Central Africa, Sudan and South Sudan. Table of Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................1 The Research Team .............................................................................................................................................. 1 The Rift Valley Institute ........................................................................................................................................ 2 Introduction .............................................................................................................3 Background to the Study ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Conceptual framework ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Study design and methodology .......................................................................................................................... 7 Structure of the report .......................................................................................................................................... 8 1. Key Findings ........................................................................................................10 Overview ...............................................................................................................................................................10 1.1 Somali Manhood: the Normative Framework ........................................................................................10 1.1.1 Normative male roles and responsibilities within the family ....................................................13 1.1.2 Normative male roles and responsibilities within the clan .......................................................15 1.1.3 Women – collaborators in the attainment of manhood .............................................................18 1.2 Life for men after Somali independence, 1960-1990 ...........................................................................20 2. Impacts of the Civil War and State Collapse .......................................................24 Overview ...............................................................................................................................................................24 2.1 The pre-eminence and (re-)ascendance of clan identity ......................................................................25 2.2 Changes to gender roles and responsibilities within the family ..........................................................26 2.3 How men’s experiences of war have affected manhood ........................................................................27 2.3.1 Male financial dependency on women ..........................................................................................27 2.3.2 Leadership and governance ..............................................................................................................29 2.4 Male resilience, adaptability and positive agency ...................................................................................35 2.5 The Experiences of Male Youth .................................................................................................................37 2.6 Male vulnerabilities in Somalia today .......................................................................................................40 2.7 Changes in masculinity ...............................................................................................................................43 3. In what way does this contribute to conflict and or peace? .................................45 3.1 Culture and socialisation .............................................................................................................................45 3.2 The thwarting of gendered expectations and identities .........................................................................47 3.3 The impact of the global world order .......................................................................................................48 3.4 History and ethnicity ...................................................................................................................................48 3.5 Greed, grievance, opportunity and impunity ..........................................................................................49 3.6 Inclusion and gender as a contributory factor in peacebuilding ........................................................50 4. Conclusions and policy implications .................................................................51 ANNEXES ..............................................................................................................56 Annex 1 ....................................................................................................................57 Methodology and process .................................................................................................................................57 Annex 2 ....................................................................................................................59 Diya Groups and Customary Law ....................................................................................................................59 Annex 3 ....................................................................................................................61 Table detailing the most common clan payments and contributions expected from men ..................61 Annex 4 ....................................................................................................................62 References referred to in the text ......................................................................................................................62 iv Acknowledgements his study would not have been possible without the input of many people. We would like to thank all the Somali men and women who shared their experiences and perspectives through focus group Tdiscussions, interviews and life-stories. And of course, special thanks to the dedicated and excellent Somali research team and translators (see below), whose combined efforts has generated rich findings, only some of which are captured in this report; the rest will form the basis of future analysis and documentation. Special thanks to Fouzia Musse and Rhoda Ibrahim for keeping faith in the study since it was first conceived back in 2004. And to Rakiya Omar, whose vision and drive put the wind in the sails and ensured work with Somali institutions and trainee Somali graduate researchers became a key feature of the research process. The research topic was explored and developed during a workshop in May 2013 with the invaluable help of Ra- kiya, Asia Abdulkadir, Hala Al-Kharib, Cedric Barnes, Chris Dolan, Judy El-Bushra, Ahmed Farah Mohamed, Faisa Loyaan, Osman Moallin, Fouzia Musse and Zakaria Yusuf. The study team is indebted to the Somali interlocutors and institutions whose assistance in each of the field- work locations was invaluable. In particular: SAYS in Boroma; Hassan Ibrahim, President of Sanaag Uni- versity, Erigavo; SONYO, SOYAAL and NAGAAD in Hargeisa; Ahmed Fara and Norwegian People’s Aid, Las Canood; Farhia Said, Garowe; SOYDEN in Mogadishu; GREDO in Baidoa; TRACKS in Dadaab and Ahmed Warsame, Head of Operations, and the UNHCR team in Dadaab; and Ibrahim Hussein for assistance in Eastleigh.
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