Long walk to restoration: Lessons from Somalia’s transition process

This situation report by the Institute for Security Studies analyses the conclusion of Somalia's third transitional arrangement in August 2012. It examines the milestones achieved, the challenges that threatened the process, the factors contributing to its success, and the lessons learned for future peace initiatives in Africa.

• The third transitional arrangement in Somalia concluded on 20 August 2012, resulting in the adoption of a provisional constitution, the nomination of a new parliament, and the election of a president and appointment of a prime minister and cabinet.
• The transition process faced significant internal challenges, including political intrigues involving the Technical Selection Committee (TSC), which rejected nominees put forward by President Sheikh Ahmed. Other issues included the abuse of incumbency by the outgoing president, bribery and intimidation of traditional leaders, and perceptions that the process was a 'selection' rather than an 'election'.
• Success was attributed to several factors: a collective weariness among stakeholders, a coordinated international resolve (highlighted by the London and Istanbul conferences), the clear prioritisation of tasks (constitution, parliament, and presidency), and the commitment of the TSC despite threats.
• The role of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) was critical as both a facilitator and driver of the process. The transition shifted from treating Somalia as a 'failed state' to a 'fragile state', which allowed for engagement with existing actors rather than superimposing external ideas.
• Efforts to include women in the political process were hindered by the shift to a selection process involving traditional clan elders, who are custodians of a patrilineal and male-dominated culture. Despite a goal of 30 per cent representation in the National Constituent Assembly and parliament, implementation proved difficult.
• The report identifies several imperatives for sustaining peace, including investing in educational infrastructure to attract the diaspora back to Somalia, resolving outstanding constitutional issues regarding sharia and federalism, and improving the synchronisation between the military operations of AMISOM and the political operations of the UN.

APA

Atta-Asamoah, A. (2013). Long walk to restoration: Lessons from Somalia’s transition process. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SitRep2013_9July-Asamoah.pdf

Chicago

Atta-Asamoah, Andrews. Long walk to restoration: Lessons from Somalia’s transition process. Institute for Security Studies, 2013. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SitRep2013_9July-Asamoah.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Atta-Asamoah |first1=Andrews |title=Long walk to restoration: Lessons from Somalia’s transition process |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=July 2013 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SitRep2013_9July-Asamoah.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{attaasamoah2013long, author = {Atta-Asamoah, Andrews}, title = {{Long walk to restoration: Lessons from Somalia’s transition process}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2013}, month = jul, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SitRep2013_9July-Asamoah.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }