The book, authored by Mohamed Ahmed Mohamoud Barawani, is titled “Somaliland State-Building: Understanding the Nexus of Democracy, Clan, and Islam” (2026).
NAIROBI, Kenya (Horn post) — A newly published academic book exploring Somaliland’s state-building process and the relationship between democracy, clan structures and Islam has been unveiled during a brief presentation event attended by senior Somaliland officials and lawmakers.
The book, authored by Mohamed Ahmed Mohamoud Barawani, is titled “Somaliland State-Building: Understanding the Nexus of Democracy, Clan, and Islam” (2026).
Ambassador Mohamed Barawani, a former Somaliland ambassador to Kenya and current director of the East Africa institute known as CPI, examines Somaliland’s political development, governance challenges and prospects through an academic lens.
According to the author, the book provides an in-depth analysis of Somaliland’s state-building experience and explores how democracy, clan dynamics and Islamic values intersect within the country’s political system. It also opens scholarly debate on the impact of clan-based politics on state institutions and national development.
The publication is described as one of the first detailed academic works of its kind focusing specifically on Somaliland’s governance model and political evolution.
The book is expected to benefit policymakers, government institutions, political parties, researchers, academics and university students studying governance and state-building in Somaliland and the Horn of Africa.
A brief presentation ceremony held in Nairobi was attended by former Somaliland Vice President Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismail Saylici, Somaliland House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Saed Mire Gire, Ambassador Mohamed Abdikarim Mohamed Marshall to be the Chairman of the Berbera Ports and Free Trade Zone Board of Directors, Somaliland’s Deputy Ambassador to Kenya Sharmarke Gelle and more than 10 members of Somaliland’s parliament currently visiting Kenya.
Officials at the event posed for photographs with the author and copies of the book, while welcoming its contribution to discussions surrounding governance, democracy and state-building in Somaliland.
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Prepared by:
Horn post staff
Hargeisa News Desk
