Land, Elite Capture, and the Erosion of Indigenous Peace Mechanisms in Southern Somalia: A Community-Level Analysis of Hybrid Governance

This paper examines the relationship between land conflict, elite capture, and the erosion of indigenous peace mechanisms (Xeer) in southern Somalia. Drawing on original qualitative data from forty Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and twelve Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) conducted in Kismayo, Baidoa, Jowhar, and Marka, the study analyzes how land governance operates within Somalia’s hybrid political order. The findings demonstrate that local conflict is driven not by state absence, but by institutional distortion, whereby captured administrative and legal systems are used by political and commercial elites to appropriate land and bypass customary dispute-resolution mechanisms. This process has disproportionately affected minority clans, displaced populations, and youth, contributing to the militarization of unresolved grievances. The paper contributes to debates on protracted social conflict, horizontal inequalities, and hybrid governance by showing how the deliberate erosion of indigenous justice systems sustains cycles of violence. It argues that sustainable peace in southern Somalia requires addressing a deep justice deficit through land reform, accountability in local governance, formal recognition of Xeer, and institutionalized youth inclusion. This article is independently published as an open-access scholarly work and is intended for academic, policy, and peacebuilding audiences.