This is a lesson Somaliland has yet to apply in the politically tense region of Sool, contested by both Somaliland and Puntland – an autonomous region that remains part of Federal Somalia. The creation of a Sool-based separatist movement, which wants to establish a state of “Khatumo” as part of Somalia, has led to a military build-up in both Somaliland and Puntland in 2014 and provoked a war of words.
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Somaliland’s military has been present in Las Anod, the regional capital of Sool, since 2008. Their visibility as a force needs to be balanced by sustained investment in social services. Much of the money Somaliland spends in the region has been earmarked for political personalities believed to wield influence in the area. There are, of course, likely to be others who can sway public opinion and who feel resentful at being sidelined.
Many believe a policy of extending social services in the area − building schools and health centers, strengthening the local Nugaal University, and improving access to water and power supplies – would contribute more to stability. The extent to which the government’s recent initiative to construct a tarmac road in the neighboring region of Sanaag was welcomed, underlines what officials in Colombia repeated many times; security is important but so is service delivery.
On the streets of Hargeisa, as on the pavements of Cali and Buenaventura, it is difficult to avoid the impression of being in a city of young men with nothing to do and little to look forward to, except perhaps a bleak future. We heard a great deal in Colombia about the interconnections between youth unemployment, the drug trade and the proliferation of criminal gangs.
While the cultural and economic contexts are quite different, high rates of unemployment are also drivers of fragility in Somaliland. The staggering level of unemployment among young men in Somaliland is a daily reminder of what can go wrong. They represent an army in-waiting for ambitious politicians to use for personal gain and a constituency for disgruntled clan elders to call upon as a political bargaining chip and as potential fighters to advance their parochial interests. They are also a ready-made pool of rudderless youth from which militant extremists with an agenda can recruit. Low skill levels and poor education exacerbate the problem.
Joblessness is not only the absence of financial security and social networks. Going to work exerts its own discipline and brings with it a sense of value for the individual. The emphasis placed by extremists on the urgency and importance of accomplishing a mission contrasts sharply with the sense of drift and weight of time that is the life of too many young men in their prime.
It is therefore all too easy for hardliners with extremist ideologies to entice vulnerable youth with talk about fulfilling a religious obligation which will be handsomely rewarded in the afterlife. Hopelessness and despair about future prospects for meaningful, productive lives provide a fertile ground for that message to resonate with many young men.
The extent to which the government’s recent initiative to construct a tarmac road in the neighboring region of Sanaag was welcomed, underlines what officials in Colombia repeated many times; security is important but so is service delivery.
An increasing number of youth, both men and women, many of them university graduates, are embarking on a perilous trek overseas in search of work and education. This phenomenon, known as tahrib, usually facilitated by unscrupulous human traffickers, reflects desperation born, in part, from the belief that opportunities lie elsewhere. Those who have tried to reach Europe by way of Libya or Yemen have become hostages in the conflict-ridden states through which they travel. Families unable to pay ransoms are forced to borrow money or sell whatever property they have to pay for the release of their children. Failure to do so may well result in their deaths.
Despite the harrowing stories broadcast regularly by the BBC Somali Service and Voice of America (VOA), the exodus persists. Seduced by misleading Facebook photos showing a life of affluence and fulfillment in Europe, the documented dangers have not proved to be sufficient deterrents. The frustration of those who come to believe they have been “left behind” means this journey of death will continue unabated.
The private sector is the ultimate creator of jobs. This is true in Somaliland as elsewhere, especially given the narrow base of the public sector in Somaliland. But rising from the ashes of destructive conflict, with the entire asset base stripped away, private companies had to start from scratch in 1991, with none of the external assistance provided by the international community to other post-conflict economies.
Despite the tremendous constraints it faces, visitors to Somaliland are immediately struck by the vibrancy of the private sector, the first sign of which are the ubiquitous metal cages on the sidewalks containing millions of shillings left unguarded. There is no expectation of theft; the clan system is the best intelligence network. The culprit will not only be found but his clan will be held accountable for his actions.
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