Indigenous Institutions and Contested Statehood: The Guurti and Political Sustainability in Somaliland
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t70108Abstract
Somaliland offers a unique example of de facto statehood in a territory that is de facto governed in a fairly enduring way but is de jure not recognized internationally and is still contested regionally. While scholarship has explored locally-initiated peacebuilding and hybrid political systems in Somaliland, less has focused on how the Guurti secures customary authority's political legitimacy and institutional sustainability over time. This research explored the role of the Guurti in the Somaliland statehood struggle, focusing on peace consolidation, political transition management, legitimacy of the state within Somaliland and continuity of institutions. A qualitative case study using an interpretivist-constructivist approach was used to gather data from 60 participants in Hargeisa, including 35 in-depth interviews, 10 key informant interviews, and 15 who participated in the three focus group discussions, along with documentary analysis and media analysis. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, and the interpretation of the analysis was done with the complementary conceptual lens of practical statehood and hybrid governance. The results have shown four interconnected mechanisms: (1) peace consolidation through Xeer; (2) diya compensation, mediation and reconciliation; (3) negotiated customary-constitutional arrangements for managing political transitions; and (4) production of internal legitimacy through peace, predictability and institutional performance, and increased demand for transparency, inclusion, accountability and institutional renewal. The study suggests that the Guurti helps to build political sustainability by transforming culturally rooted legitimacy to social trust, political acceptance and institutional continuity, but that it is increasingly dependent on its ability to respond to the expectations of “representation” and “accountability” that have changed in society. The study has theoretical contribution by investigating sustainability as an evolving legitimacy-conversion process and has policy implications for enhanced institutional complementarity, transparency, inclusive participation and accountable renewal in Somaliland's hybrid governance system.
Keywords: Guurti; indigenous institutions; contested statehood; Somaliland; customary legitimacy; peacebuilding; hybrid governance
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