• Promoting peacebuilding

SWEC promotes peacebuilding by empowering traditional alders who have a deep understanding of Somali culture and society as well as basic sharia laws. Traditional leaders are rooted within the community, trusted, and strive to prevent conflict by bringing parties in conflict together and building trust and relationships. They also have moral authority making them effective mediators. In addition, the traditional leader can serve as arbitrators and peacemakers, helping to solve all types of conflict through mediation and reconciliation conferences.

Educating the culture of peace in Somali society involves introducing peacebuilding concepts through the different groups of social venues such as classrooms for students, and women association networking meetings while engaging traditional leaders in promoting a culture of peace and creating initiatives that promote communities’ co-existence.

• Conflict prevention

We emphasize shifting focus towards conflict prevention rather than responding after lives have been lost by settling legal disputes through traditional common law and council of elders after a conflict between clans and communities and organizing reconciliation and reintegration approaches that prevent the recurrence of the conflict. We prevent conflict in our communities by implementing activities that promote social cohesion and by including marginalized groups in decision-making processes, activities that strengthen local governments, and rule of law systems through a conflict sensitivity approach.

Our conflict prevention mechanisms include operational prevention. When a mediator is dispatched to stop violent conflict, structural prevention is undertaken which involves making communities more resilient to conflict by promoting the social and political economy.  

• Peace Negotiations

Somali women have been largely excluded from the formal peace processes, such as the Arta conference in 2000. However, by forming networks like calling themselves the sixth clan, they advocated for their inclusion in the peace processes. Our founder was part of those women and we are obliged to make sure women play a crucial part in the peace negotiations. We use strategies such as collective lobbying, poetry, and protests to make sure women sit and be part of the negotiation and decision-making tables.

Working peace negotiations involves a series of steps taken to end wars and conflicts, build sustainable peace, and maintain long-term peace in civil war-affected communities. These steps often include negotiation between the parties involved, clear agreed points, and obtaining a commitment from each party, making sure negotiations stay calm and not mixing with politics if possible.

SWEC plays a crucial role in peace negotiations by helping to mobilize people and resources to ensure security while showing neutrality, providing support with logistics, advocating for inclusivity, and using traditional and religious leaders.