GAROWE (CODKA BULSHADA) – Somalia’s civil society has played a significant role throughout the country’s different political phases.
However, in recent years, it has been noted that the strength and unity of civil society groups have weakened, with cohesion among them largely disappearing.
Security challenges, repression from various actors, and declining funding for civil society initiatives have further undermined the capacity and effectiveness of these organizations.
The Codka Bulshada program of the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) interviewed Mohamed Abdirisak Isse, a senior member of the Puntland civil society umbrella (PUNSAA).
Mohamed explained that Somalia’s civil society organizations are fragmented into three regions: Puntland, Somaliland, and South-Central Somalia.
“Since the country is not united, and there is no single civil society voice that can speak collectively, it has ended up being divided into three parts,” Mohamed said.
Speaking on Puntland, he highlighted that PUNSAA, which has been active for nearly a decade, has undertaken vital work such as defending press freedom, promoting democracy, and holding the government accountable to prevent abuse of power.
In 2023, Puntland implemented its first-ever local government elections based on a one-person, one-vote system. Although youth and women made up the majority of voters, the number of women and young people elected to office remained very low.
Civil society groups acknowledge that this remains an area requiring greater effort and improvement.
Nonetheless, the PUNSAA representative stressed that once unity and cooperation are established among civil society groups, their contribution and impact on the people and the country could increase significantly.