Photo: MDart10 / Shutterstock Lead researchers: Jethro Norman
Partner: Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
Duration: January 2026 – October 2026
Rather than relying on territorial monopolies of violence, the cities of Garowe, Baidoa, Las Anod, and Kismayo function as quasi-sovereign actors that govern through controlling movement, verification, and extraction at key chokepoints. Using comparative fieldwork and geospatial analysis, the project will explore how port access, diaspora networks, and external patronage from actors such as Gulf states, Türkiye, and Ethiopia enable some centres to ascend or consolidate authority while others decline. By tracing these dynamics across fragmented state structures and through centre–periphery relations, the research will identify practical leverage points for international actors seeking to support governance coordination without reinforcing extractive or destabilising inter-centre competition.
For more information regarding this research, contact [email protected]