The point of departure for this paper is the fact that Somalia has been without effective state institutions since 1991. Markus Virgil Hoehne explores how moderately effective state-like institutions have been rebuilt in Somaliland and Puntland in northern Somalia over the past two decades. These institutions do not enjoy international recognition and are limited in power and scope. Moreover, the paper shows how alternative forms of authority exercised by so-called non-state actors have gained prominence during the process of state-formation.

A particularly important category of non-state actors in northern Somalia are traditional authorities. In the northern Somali setting, these are family or clan heads. Traditionally, they follow norms of culture and their legitimacy is embedded in social relations among and between their and other groups. However, they do not act in a political vacuum. In the contemporary (northern) Somali setting they have to engage with and are influenced by militias, religious activists, civil society groups and the existing state-like institutions. This brings about a complex mixture of ‘traditional’ and ‘modern’ elements of politics and leads to shifts in modes of legitimacy.

The paper is based on long-term fieldwork in Northern Somalia, where the author has followed the contested process of state formation. It was initially presented at the 1-3 November 2010 conference on Access to Justice and Security. Non-State Actors and Local Dynamics of Ordering, organized by DIIS researchers Helene Maria Kyed and Peter Albrecht.

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Source: Danish Institute for International Studies

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