Let’s be honest about the elephant in the room at this critical political crossroads in Somalia’s political cycle right now: our civil society—our traditional elders (Duubabka), religious scholars (Culumada), civil society groups and independent journalists—is largely missing from the conversation. By civil society, I mean the elders who guide communities, the imams who preach peace, the teachers who shape young minds, the journalists who inform, and the youth groups who dream of a better country.
When election cycle approaches, politicians often raise the temperature. Speeches get sharper, divisions deepen, and rumours spread quickly. In a country like Somalia, where peace is fragile, this can be dangerous. Civil society must step forward to cool the heat, to remind us that prevention is always better than cure.
We all know the old saying that prevention is better than the cure, or as the Somali saying goes, “Caano daatay dabadoodaa la qabtaa” meaning “It is useless to try and catch spilled milk.” During election seasons, political rhetoric gets incredibly heated. Candidates and factions often dial up the tension to a dangerous pitch, creating an environment that can easily trigger local unrest or, at worst, push the country back into open conflict. In a fragile security landscape like ours, where political stalemates have historically cost lives, we cannot afford to sit back. Somali Civil Society needs to step up right now, inject some calm reason into the room, and demand that politicians stick to peaceful, constitutional paths.
If we want to protect the hard-won peace and progress our communities have built over the years, civic leaders have to stop watching from the sidelines and start acting as a shield for the public. Our culture teaches us, “Far keliya fool ma dhaqdo” (“A single finger cannot wash a face”). We cannot expect a few politicians to build a nation alone; it requires collective effort. We can lean on our own deep cultural values, Islamic faith, and proven strategies from across Africa to guide us.
So, how can the Civil Society have an impact? Here are a few examples on how Civil Society can take charge.
| The Mission | What This Means on the Ground in Somalia | Lessons from the Continent & Human Wisdom |
| 1. Forcing Real, Transparent Dialogue | Bring the Federal Government (FGS) and Federal Member State (FMS) leaders to an independent mediation table to iron out electoral models before things boil over. | The philosopher Jürgen Habermas pointed out that honest, uncoerced conversation is the only real antidote to political bullying. This echoes Surah Ash-Shura (42:38), which reminds us that communal affairs should be decided through mutual consultation. “Those who have responded to their master, established prayer, and whose affairs are [decided] by consultation among themselves, and who spend from what We have provided them.” (Qur’an 42:38).
Looking at Ghana’s National Peace Council: they brought rivals together to sign peace pacts, using moral weight to cool down political rivalries. |
| 2. Guarding the Integrity of the Vote | Deploy independent, local observation teams to monitor parliamentary selection processes and transition agreements, ensuring no clan or community is locked out. | Alexis de Tocqueville famously wrote that a society stays civilized only when its people master the “art of associating together.” As the Somali saying goes, “Nin aan fadhigaaga aqoonin, looma heeso” (“Do not sing for a man who does not know your posture”), meaning we must oversee our own affairs with trusted eyes.
In Kenya, a coalition of over 25 civic groups joined forces under platforms like Uchaguzi to watch the polling booths like hawks, working alongside authorities to keep the process transparent. |
| 3. Using Local Ways to Build Peace | Champion traditional, grassroots arbitration models through platforms like the Somalia Non-State Actors (SONSA) to break political deadlocks. | The African philosopher Kwasi Wiredu argued that seeking true consensus—rather than an aggressive, “winner-take-all” fight—is the purest form of democracy, matching the Islamic concept of Sulh (reconciliation). In the North West region of Somalia the Academy for Peace and Development (APD) has long blended modern advocacy with traditional elder councils (Guurti) to settle bitter disputes peacefully. The Somali tradition and wisdom reminds us, recognizing complex peace agreements take time and patience, but must be rooted in local reality. |
| 4. Shutting Down Lies and Incitement | Actively fact-check and call out politically motivated rumours and toxic social media rhetoric before they spark localized inter-clan clashes. | Centuries ago, the North African thinker Ibn Khaldun warned that political partisanship blinds people, making them instantly swallow lies that favour their side. To fight this, Ghana’s CODEO used independent vote verification to publish real-time, accurate data, acting as a massive buffer against dangerous fake news during tense counts. Somalia’s solution maybe more nuanced given the security of parts of the country. |
| 5. Holding the Media Accountable | Work closely with journalist syndicates to enforce ethical reporting rules, protecting reporters from being weaponized by political bankrolls. | There is a strict warning in our culture: “Af daboolan waa dahab” (“A closed mouth is gold”), which reminds us that speech can be destructive if not handled with care. The media must use its voice constructively. John Stuart Mill argued that a free press loses its value the moment it stops chasing the truth and starts fuelling factionalism.
In Kenya, major media houses agreed to strict conflict-sensitive reporting rules during recent high-stakes elections, completely shifting the national broadcast from tribal finger-pointing to issue-based debates. |
Somalia’s Civil Society has a history of actively engaging the public and government in various instances to spread peace, governance and unity and I have no doubt there have a base to build on the tasks ahead. Far from being completely passive, domestic civic groups have launched targeted, real-time interventions to break this political ice in the past:
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, a lasting, stable Somalia cannot be built or decided by political elites behind closed doors. Real peace is anchored by ordinary people and the civic leaders who represent them. As the classic proverb states, “Aadane eed ma waayo, mar dhow iyo mar fogba, laakiin nabad aa deeqda” (“Humanity is never without faults, sooner or later, but peace is what sustains us all”).
As we head into this election cycle, every single citizen, elder, and media voice needs to act with total responsibility. We have to prove to ourselves—and to the world—that our collective safety and national stability matter far more than any politician’s personal ambition.
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By Dr Abdullahi Ali Noor (Ameriko) is a pharmaceutical regulatory expert with more than 25 years of corporate leadership experience in European and U.S. regulatory affairs. He writes on public policy, governance, healthcare, and national development, drawing on decades of experience in pharmaceutical regulation, leadership, and institutional compliance
Disclaimer: This article & others appearing on the Public Opinion segment are exclusive to the author of the story and do not in any way reflect the views of Mustaqbal Media.
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