In the highly insecure borderlands of Somalia and North-Eastern Kenya, communities are driving their own governance and resilience, repairing social and physical damage in a context of violence and in the absence of formal state structures. This event explored insights from a new policy brief, examining how local self-governance and cross-clan networks contribute to stability, security, and public services.
Read the related Policy Briefing.
The event highlighted key lessons from a community-led process involving 50 Somali participants from diverse backgrounds. Their experiences reveal how vigorous social networks and reliable customary systems based on Islamic law help communities negotiate safety, resolve disputes, and manage public goods. The presentation will also discuss how distrust of state and international interventions can be addressed through meaningful engagement with local self-governance.
Watch this event for a critical discussion on the resilience and agency of borderland communities.
Speaker
Patta Scott-Villiers, IDS Research Fellow. Patta is an action researcher focusing on the political anthropology of people on the margins of power, accompanying them and their civic organisations in their efforts to exert influence for equitable development.
Chair
Anu Joshi, Interim Director of Research, IDS. Anu is also a social scientist with a PhD in Public Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA with extensive experience in policy processes and institutional analysis.