Living together in Somalia

Somalia has no single nationwide system for neighbourhood relations, shared housing, public-space access or conflict mediation. Federal and regional administrations, including the Banadir Regional Administration, local authorities, district councils, traditional elders, religious actors, courts and alternative-dispute-resolution services operate with different responsibilities and procedures. Security conditions, distance, displacement, clan or minority status, gender and disability can affect access to services and participation. Community life often works through villages or wards, Village Councils, Community Education Committees, Women’s Groups, Youth Groups and water or land-management committees. A 2023 World Bank household survey reported an average of 5.1 community institutions per village or ward; Village Councils, Community Education Committees, Women’s Groups and Youth Groups were each reported in more than 60% of surveyed areas, while water and land committees appeared in about half. Access usually begins through the community, ward or village and may then involve a district office, elder, religious leader or local authority. Fees and deadlines are generally local or project-based rather than nationally standardised. The Constitution approved by Parliament on 4 March 2026 and signed on 8 March 2026 sets out rule of law, equality, social justice and federalism. In practice, formal federal and state law, district rules, land and urban-planning rules, security requirements, Sharia-based principles, Xeer and community norms can overlap. Their legal force differs: a customary settlement or religious recommendation does not automatically have the same status as a court decision or formal regulation. Women and girls, young people, internally displaced people, minorities, people with disabilities, rural communities, low-income urban communities and older people face particular inclusion and protection concerns. Community institutions, civil-society organisations, Women’s Groups, Youth Groups, camp-management committees and dialogues with elders or religious leaders can support participation, but representation and protection remain uneven. Tensions between displaced people and host communities, as well as disputes over land, water, resources and access, are recurring coexistence risks. For land, water, theft, family or neighbourhood disputes, a common process is Xeer mediation led by Nabadon or other traditional elders. It may involve community consensus, compensation or diya. Religious actors, police, prosecutors, courts and state or Federal Member State alternative-dispute-resolution centres provide other options. UNDP research cited in the fact sheet found that elders or Xeer handle more than 95% of disputes. In Baidoa, one recorded court case took about one year and three months, compared with about four months through alternative dispute resolution. Xeer can be faster and less costly, but it is informal, inconsistent and may exclude women or minority groups. Serious violence and sexual or gender-based violence require formal protection and justice pathways rather than community settlement. Participation can take place through district offices, Federal Member State or federal channels, town halls, community dialogues, civil-society organisations and traditional or religious leaders. The Bulsho Project supports community diagnostics, collaboration forums, participatory planning, resource mobilisation and oversight. Dowlad-Kaab 2024–2029 focuses on district-level participation, social accountability and complaint handling, while Fariin-Maal is a citizen-engagement pilot in Baidoa rather than a nationwide standard. Urban growth and displacement make markets, streets, community spaces and public services contested coexistence areas. Local urban planning, land governance, market management, waste services, water and sanitation structures and community planning shape access. UN-Habitat has supported participatory city strategies and urban plans in places including Baidoa, Xudur and Bossaso. Puntland’s Urban Land Management Law addresses public-space access, land use and district or state responsibilities, but no single public-space rule applies across Somalia. Formal flat-sharing markets are not documented as a nationwide equivalent to the common European shared-housing model. Families, relatives, compounds, host communities and internally displaced people’s sites provide the main shared-living arrangements. Site managers, camp-management committees, community spaces and humanitarian feedback or complaint channels handle many practical issues in displacement settings. IOM reported community-led planning in more than 2,700 internally displaced people’s sites in 2025–2026, while UNHCR reported inclusive governance initiatives in 1,600 settlements in 2024. Costs, access and timing vary sharply by location, security and housing or land status. Digital coexistence includes online civic participation, service access, privacy, complaints and digital safety. The National Communications Law 2017, National Communications Authority rules, SIM and customer-registration requirements, national identity systems and provider procedures affect access. The Ministry of Communications and Technology Inclusive Digital Policy 2025 addresses affordable and secure access, digital skills, marginalised groups and online public services; the Accelerated Governance Strategy 2025–2029 covers electronic services, digital skills and telecommunications infrastructure. The Public Data Protection Law and regulatory framework issued in January 2026 provide the data-protection basis, with registration of data controllers and processors by the Data Protection Authority scheduled for May 2026. The Cybercrime Bill approved by Cabinet in August 2025 remains a bill, not an enacted law. Fariin-Maal combines online and offline participation in Baidoa. There is no nationwide digital-coexistence or moderation authority, and privacy, surveillance, cybercrime, harassment and unequal internet access remain practical risks.