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Gaalkacyo Conflict Published in 2016 by the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies, Mogadishu, Somalia The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies (HIPS) HIPS is an independent, nonpartisan, non-profit policy research and analysis institute based in Mogadishu, Somalia. Cover: Top view of Gaalkacyo city Rights: Copyright © The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies Text published under Creative Commons License Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ Access more HIPS publications at www.heritageinstitute.org Table of Contents Executive Summary............................................................................................................ 1 Background ......................................................................................................................... 2 Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 2 Root Causes of the Conflict ................................................................................................ 3 Land ................................................................................................................................ 3 Resources ........................................................................................................................ 4 Federal System ............................................................................................................... 4 Contributing Causes ........................................................................................................... 5 Weak Central Authority ................................................................................................ 5 Different Administrations .............................................................................................. 5 Perceptions ..................................................................................................................... 5 Media .............................................................................................................................. 6 Other Contributing Causes ............................................................................................ 6 Potential Solutions for Gaalkacyo ...................................................................................... 6 Option One: Federally-Administered City .................................................................... 7 Option Two: Divide Mudug Into Two Regions ............................................................ 8 Option Three: Puntland and Galmudug Negotiated Agreement .................................. 8 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 8 Policy Considerations ......................................................................................................... 9 Executive Summary Gaalkacyo has been a divided city since 1993, however, the renewed conflict is fundamentally driven by a struggle for land and resources and was triggered by the implementation of the federal system. The lack of genuine reconciliation, two administrations within the city, negative perceptions of each other among the two communities, weak central authority, and unhelpful media coverage have contributed to the continuation of the con- flict. A joint non-political commission derived from city stakeholders should be estab- lished to start genuine discussions on finding a durable solution. Alongside this commission, the Puntland and Galmudug administrations should create a joint se- curity task force to maintain peace. There are three possible options for managing the Gaalkayo conflict. They in- clude designating Gaalkacyo a federally-administered city; a joint or agreed sin- gle administration for the city; dividing Gaalkacyo and the entire Mudug region into two regions. The study and analysis of these three options will be funda- mental to solving the constitutional, land and resource-based conflicts. There should be no impunity for individuals fueling or allowing the continuance of the Gaalkacyo conflict. They should be held accountable for their actions. The killing and displacement of civilian population is a serious violation of national and international humanitarian law. The UN should take a leading role in the investigation of violations of human rights and humanitarian law committed in Gaalkacyo. 1 Background 162 people injured. The conflict also displaced more than 85,000 of the city‟s residents.3 Gaalkacyo, a city located in central Somalia, is divided between the Puntland and Galmudug On 1 November 2016, the leaders of Puntland administrations. The north side of the city is and Galmudug, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali and Ab- administered by Puntland while the south is con- dikarim Hussein Guled, signed a ceasefire trolled by Galmudug. On 4 June 1993, the then agreement in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emir- leaders of the Somali National Alliance (SNA), ates (UAE), which committed them to establish- the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF) ing a committee to find a solution to the conflict. and the Somali National Democratic Union However, this agreement was not implemented (SNDU), General Mohamed Farah Aidid, Colo- and the clashes continued. On 18 November, the nel Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed and Ali Ismail Abdi- same leaders met in Gaalkacyo and reached a Giir, signed an agreement in Mogadishu to solve cease fire agreement brokered by Prime Minister a conflict that had devastated the city. Communi- Omar Abdirashid Ali that established a two- ty elders and intellectuals from both sides of the kilometer-wide buffer zone between their fight- divide also played a key role in these negotia- ers stationed in the city. tions. Following this agreement, an 18-member joint Following this agreement, the city experienced committee of Puntland and Galmudug was es- relative stability for almost two decades with no tablished with the responsibility of ensuring the major conflicts until 22 November 2015 when a implementation of the ceasefire and the building violent conflict broke out between the Puntland of confidence between the two sides. An interna- and Galmudug forces. This conflict, which lasted tional ceasefire team led by IGAD and supported until December 2015, left at least 20 people dead by the UN was also deployed to Gaalkacyo to and 120 others injured. Over 90,000 of the city‟s work with the joint committee and monitor the residents were also displaced.1 implementation.4 A peace agreement was signed on 2 December Methodology between the Puntland and Galmudug admin- istrations. It was witnessed by the Prime Minis- The field research was conducted in the south ter of the Federal Government of Somalia, the and north of Gaalkacyo, Cadaado, Galdogob and leaders of the Jubaland and South West admin- Garoowe from November 3-13, 2016. Heritage istrations, community elders and delegations Institute for Policy Studies (HIPS) researchers from the United Nations, the European Union traveled to the two sides of Gaalkacyo, met and (EU) and the Inter-Governmental Authority on interviewed all segments of the society and cap- Development (IGAD).2 Less than a year later, on tured their views on the fundamental drivers, 7 October 2016, another violent conflict broke contributing factors and potential solutions. out in the city leaving at least 45 people dead and Fieldwork in Cadaado and Garoowe was im- portant in this research as some of Gaalkacyo‟s traditional elders, intellectuals and political lead- 3 1 UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNO- “Displacement continues amid recurrent clashes in north- CHA) report, http://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/somalia-flash- central Somalia – UN”, update-humanitarian-impact-fighting-gaalkacyo-8-december-2015 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=55539#.WD -YvjJh3R0 2 UN, EU, AMISOM, IGAD welcome the signing of the Gaalkacyo agreement between Puntland and Galmudug, 4 UNSOM Press Release on International Ceasefire Deployed to https://unsom.unmissions.org/un-eu-amisom-igad-welcome- Gaalkacyo, https://unsom.unmissions.org/international- signing-gaalkacyo-agreement-between-puntland-and-galmudug ceasefire-team-deployed-gaalkacyo-support-implementation- agreement-reached-presidents 2 ers were already there for the selection of the the Puntland and Galmudug regional admin- Lower House members of the next Somali Fed- istrations accuse one another of land grabbing eral Parliament. The team also paid a two-day and territorial expansion. visit to Galdogob for observation and interviews. Land was a cause of conflict in Mudug before During the fieldwork, the research team con- and after Somalia‟s independence. The Italian ducted a number of interviews and focus group colony demarcated clan-based lines known as discussions (FGDs). In all locations, a total of 32 “Tomaselli” line as a solution to land based con- individuals were interviewed. They included pol- flicts. All past Somali governments including the iticians, clan elders, business people, women rep- military government failed to solve the land- resentatives, religious scholars, academics, youth based conflict in the region – although as well as media representatives. Five separate Gaalkacyo was under one administration. After FGDs were conducted with the youth, academ- the fall of the military regime and the subsequent ics, clan elders and women. civil war, the land-related clan conflicts instigat- ed fierce fighting in and around
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