By Guy Feugap, Africa Organizer, World BEYOND War, May 28, 2026
On May 23, 2026, peace advocates and youth representatives gathered in Puntland, Somalia, for the official launch of the new World BEYOND War Puntland Somalia chapter. This chapter means an important milestone in expanding anti-war and peacebuilding efforts in the Horn of Africa. Participants, mostly from the Somali Peace and Skill Development Organization (SPSDO), discussed the need for locally driven peace initiatives, youth empowerment, and nonviolent approaches to addressing insecurity and social instability in Somalia.
Somalia continues to face a complex security and political environment shaped by armed conflict, political tensions, climate-related crises, and humanitarian challenges. While the Federal Government has made gains in some regions, parts of the country remain affected by insurgent activities, local clan conflicts, and disputes over political centralization and constitutional reforms. In addition, droughts, floods, and displacement continue to affect millions of people, further increasing social vulnerability and instability.
The working context of the new chapter is therefore both challenging and highly important. Operating in Puntland, the chapter seeks to respond to the root causes of violence affecting young people and local communities. Extremist recruitment, maritime piracy, unemployment, and social marginalization are significant concerns, especially for youth in vulnerable rural and coastal areas. The chapter members also work within a broader environment where humanitarian access, mobility and local security conditions can fluctuate rapidly.
To address these realities, the chapter plans to implement a range of peacebuilding and community resilience activities. These include the creation of youth peace clubs, civic peace forums, counter-extremism awareness campaigns, and vocational skills training programs. The chapter also intends to support apprenticeship opportunities, promote inter-clan dialogue and reconciliation, establish early warning community networks, and implement targeted outreach initiatives in coastal communities and internally displaced persons camps to reduce vulnerability to piracy and violent extremism.
The chapter is coordinated by Ahmed Yousuf Galan, a Somali peacebuilder, governance expert, and development practitioner with extensive experience in humanitarian operations, public administration, and community development. Educated in Somalia and Pakistan, he previously served with the Puntland Agency for Social Welfare, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and MCG Associates. He is also the founder of the Somali Peace and Skills Development Organization and has represented Somalia internationally through initiatives such as the Next Einstein Forum, the World Literacy Foundation, and the Institute for Economics and Peace, where he served as a Peace Ambassador to Somalia.
