Microsoft Word - Conference Report-1.doc

This report summarizes a conference titled 'Unpacking the Somali Conflict' held on 21 January 2009 in Pretoria, South Africa. The event brought together experts to discuss the complexities of the crisis in Somalia, the role of international and regional actors, and the challenges facing the Transitional Federal Government and peacekeeping missions like AMISOM.

• United Nations Resolution 1863, adopted on 16 January 2009, expressed the intention to establish a UN peacekeeping operation in Somalia by 1 June. The proposed mission's tasks in Mogadishu included protecting political actors, government buildings, and UN staff, delivering humanitarian aid, building Somali security forces, and monitoring the Djibouti Peace Agreement.
• The African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has been unable to fully execute its mandate—which includes protecting Transitional Federal Institutions and key infrastructure—due to a lack of capacity, specifically regarding troop contributions, and precarious security in Mogadishu.
• Experts highlighted that the international community often overlooks pivotal factors in the Somali conflict, such as radicalization, diasporization, and a local preference for Sharia Courts, customary law, and traditional authority over formal government.
• Somalia is described as one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters, with approximately 40% of the population requiring emergency food relief. Aid delivery is severely hindered by poor infrastructure, violence, and the proliferation of checkpoints, which also put aid workers at risk; 36 aid workers, mostly Somali nationals, were killed in the months preceding the report.
• The conflict is characterized by extreme fragmentation and a 'zero-sum game' approach to political power, where warlordism has become a lucrative activity. Proposed solutions to address this include countrywide disarmament, the establishment of a truth and reconciliation platform, and the reconstruction of the economy.
• Somaliland is cited as a successful example of peacebuilding in the region since 1991 because its process was managed and mediated by Somalis with locally selected leaders, supported by multi-clan peace conferences and a political consensus.
• The 'war on terror' rhetoric associated with the George W. Bush administration is described as inflammatory and counterproductive to peacemaking in Somalia, with suggestions that the UN and AU failed by uncritically accepting the US version of events.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Microsoft Word - Conference Report-1.doc. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SOMALIAREP210109.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Microsoft Word - Conference Report-1.doc. n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SOMALIAREP210109.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Microsoft Word - Conference Report-1.doc |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SOMALIAREP210109.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndmicrosoft, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Microsoft Word - Conference Report-1.doc}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SOMALIAREP210109.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }