Title: Legal Framework And Community Policing In Somalia
Authors: Abdulkadir Abdiaziz Mohamed and Mustafe Mahamoud Abdillahi
Volume: 9
Issue: 12
Pages: 196-208
Publication Date: 2025/12/28
Abstract:
The collapse of the Somali state in 1991 precipitated a protracted era of statelessness, resulting in a hybrid political order where customary law (Xeer), Sharia, and non-state actors became the primary providers of security and justice. The subsequent state-building process has sought to reconstruct a formal Somali Police Force (SPF) within this complex landscape of legal pluralism. This research analyzes the critical disconnects between Somalia's formal legal framework-the Provisional Constitution and Somali Police Force Act- and the prevailing informal legal orders that govern daily life. It argues that the inadequate integration and frequent contradictions between these systems result in a policing institution lacking broad-based legitimacy and local accountability, thereby undermining its effectiveness in providing public safety and countering insurgency. Through a qualitative, desk-based methodology, the study maps Somalia's pluralist legal reality, assesses the theory and practice of community policing initiatives, and identifies the gaps between policy aspirations and operational realities. Findings reveal that despite formal commitments and international donor-supported programs, community policing remains ad-hoc, under-resourced, and marginalized by a dominant militarized counter-insurgency approach. The most promising models emerge from localized, hybrid arrangements that pragmatically negotiate authority between police and traditional elders. The study concludes that sustainable reform requires legal harmonization, localization of policing models, holistic investment in the justice chain, robust oversight mechanisms, and sustained, politically-smart international support. Ultimately, building legitimate community policing in Somalia is inseparable from the broader project of constructing a state perceived as fair, responsive, and trustworthy.