STORY: Somali leaders pledge

mediation to end war

DURATION: 4:32
SOURCE: AMISOM PUBLIC INFORMATION
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CREDIT REQUIRED: AMISOM PUBLIC
INFORMATION
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/SOMALI NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 08/MARCH/2017, NAIROBI, KENYA

SHOT LIST
1. Wide shot, Judith Van Den Boogert, Senior training and research
fellow at the Clingendeal Institute addressing the participants at KCB
Leadership Institute in Nairobi, Kenya
2. Close up shot, Judith Van Den Boogert, Senior training and research
fellow at the Clingendeal Institute addressing the participants
3. Med shot, Judith Van Den Boogert, Senior training and research
fellow at the Clingendeal Institute addressing the participants
4. Close up shot, participant in the training listening
5. Wide shot, Judith Van Den Boogert, Senior training and research
fellow at the Clingendeal Institute addressing the participants
6. Med shot, participants attending the training listening
7. SOUNDBITE: JUDITH VAN DEN BOOGERT, SENIOR TRAINING
AND RESEARCH FELLOW AT THE CLINGENDEAL INSTITUTE
Somali context is that many people are working towards
change to get a more stable society, and how to get the right
actors in force because you can not reach it only from above,
you have to reach out to the different clans who are involved,
to different people. People have to get more knowledge of
where conflict comes from, how did the conflict start and to
try and talk about it. To create dialogue between people where
do the problems come from, why dont we agree with each
other is very important.

8. Wide shot, Dr. Walters Samah, AMISOM Political Affairs Officer,

addressing the participants
9. Med shot, Dr. Walters Samah, AMISOM Political Affairs Officer,
addressing the participants
10. Med shot, participants listening during the training
11. Med shot, participants listening during the training
12. SOUNDBITE: DR WALTERS SAMAH, AMISOM POLITICAL
AFFAIRS OFFICER
Alshabaab has been seriously degraded, but you wont defeat
Alshabaab when there are so many intractable conflicts in
 Somalia, conflict over land, conflict over resources, political
struggles, so it's important to use the soft approach if you
really want to degrade Alshabaab to the extent that it no
longer poses a danger to the country and to the region.

13. Wide shot, Rolf Meyer, South African Government Chief

Negotiator addressing participants

14. Med shot, Rolf Meyer, South African Government Chief

Negotiator addressing participants
15. Close up shot, Rolf Meyer, South African Government Chief
Negotiator addressing participants
16. Med shot, participants listening
17. SOUNDBITE: ROLF MEYER, SOUTH AFRICAN
GOVERNMENT CHIEF NEGOTIATOR
I had the impression that we built a good chemistry between
us and the participants in a process that wants to see success
for Somalia. That is the reason i came after all, to contribute
towards helping Somalias to find their own solutions. It is not
about telling people from the outside what to do, it's about
helping people from the inside to find their own solutions. So
personally Iam optimistic, i think the approach demonstrated
in this discussions particularly over the last few days were
very encouraging, there is a lot of energy and a lot of
passion.

18. Wide shot, Judith Van Den Boogert, Senior training and
research fellow at the Clingendeal Institute addressing the
participants
19. Mid shot, participant contributing his views during the training
20. Wide shot, participant contributing his views during the
training
21. Close up shot, participant listening
22. Wide shot, Judith Van Den Boogert, Senior training and
research fellow at the Clingendeal Institute addressing the
participants
23. SOUNDBITE: (SOMALI) ABDULKADIR NUR ARALE,
MINISTER, RECONCILIATION & CONSTITUTION AFFAIRS
SOUTH WEST STATE, SOMALIA
Mediation deserves to be given the first priority as the
government of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has
realized that mediation is one of the pillars towards recovery
of the country as well as peace and stability of Somalia. This
workshop was beneficial in regard to conflict resolution;
therefore the participants will apply the knowledge acquired to
negotiate and mediate in their area of operation. For me, I will
take the experience to ISWA and continue with the mediation
work that I was involved with,
24. Close up shot, participant asking a question during the
training
25. Wide shot, Rolf Meyer, South African Government Chief
Negotiator addressing participants
26. Med shot, Rolf Meyer, South African Government Chief
Negotiator addressing participants
27. Med shot, participants listening during the training
28. Med shot, Rolf Meyer, South African Government Chief
Negotiator addressing participants
29. SONDBITE: (SOMALI) SADIA MOHAMED ELMI, MEMBER
OF STAFF, MINISTRY OF INTERIOR AND FEDERALISM
This is training for trainers (TOT) and after completion of this
workshop in conjunction with our experience we should be
able to train others so that we raise the number of people with
the capacity to negotiate, mediate and bring together warring
parties in resolving their conflict.

STORY

Somali leaders pledge mediation to end war

Nairobi, 8 March 2017 - A core group of 21 Somali leaders

representing the countrys diverse background has ended an
intensive peace mediation and negotiation training with a pledge to
think nationally and act locally.

The three-day workshop on negotiation and mediation as a conflict

resolution instrument for Somali stakeholders facilitated by three
world-renowned conflict resolution experts Roelf Meyer, Judith van
den Boogert and Dr. Walters Samah, under the auspices of the
African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), ended today in Kenyas
capital, Nairobi.

Mediation is a process. It doesnt end in a day. It is continuous, a

participant said at the close of training and expressed satisfaction
with the outcome of the deliberations he described as an eye-
opener.

Another participant added If you listen to people theyll listen to

you; if you discuss with them, they will to discuss with you.

Ms Sadia Elmi, a Somali government official with the Ministry of

Interior and Federal Affairs (MOIFA) in Mogadishu, said as a result of
the training, participants had resorted to act at the grass-root level
to help the country deal with the conflict, that has lasted over 26
years.

Yes, the message is, think nationally and act locally, she said.
In the past, she explained, almost all mediators were foreigners or
foreign-based, and their work was therefore in disconnect with local
expectations. Its useful to have Somalia mediators who have local
knowledge, and who can feel the pulse, of the country. This
workshop has really empowered us.

The participants have gone through rigorous skills-training and

simulations on conflict resolution.

Mr Meyer, a key role player in talks that ended apartheid in South

Africa and replaced with majority rule in the early 1990s, blended
presentations with experiences from other regions such as Palestine,
Madagascar, Myanmar (formerly Burma) Colombia and Zimbabwe,
where he has worked to help end violent conflicts.

The participants were taken through process of mediation and

negotiations, dialogue, creating inclusivity, root causes of conflicts,
decision-making criteria, and strategies in handling conflicts.

There were exercises in simulations that allowed participants to play

different roles as mediators and negotiators.

AMISOM facilitated the training, funded by the Dutch government

and organized by the Clingendael Institute (Netherlands Institute of
International Relations).
Mr. Abdukadir Nur Arale, the Minister for Reconciliation and
Constitution Affairs, in the South West State of Somalia, said he was
impressed with South Africas experience during the countrys
volatile transition from minority to majority rule two decades ago.

South Africas and Somalias conflicts are different. But solutions

(to the conflicts) are similar. The tools and means are almost
similar, he said.

He thanked Mr. Meyer for drawing parallels with the South African
experience in his trainings.

He also praised the Clingendael Institute for facilitating the

workshop. Its (Clingendael) knowledge gathered from different
conflicts and its expertise in conflict management and resolution is
important in our Somali situation. It helps revitalize national
reconciliation, which is a pillar in the agenda of the new government
(elected in February).

A former governor of Lower Shabelle Region, Mr. Abdulkadir Sheikh

Mohamed Nur, thanked AMISOM, the Dutch government and the
Clingendael Institute for organizing what he termed as a very
successful training.
He also praised the three conflict resolution experts Boogert,
Meyer and Samah for facilitating the three-day training. The
lessons learned (at the workshop) will be very beneficial in our
attempt to reconcile Somalia, he noted.

He asked authorities to seek dialogue and reconciliation with all

groups in Somalia, including those who dissent to its position.
Government has to enter into dialogue with everybody, even those
groups and positions opposed to it regardless of whether they are
political or resource-based.

The participants were especially encouraged by the methodology

involved in the training that was very interactive. People learn
effectively through practicing, said the Minister for Reconciliation
and Constitution Affairs.

This workshop was a package of knowledge.

A number of the trainers will later be picked to be trainers of
trainers (ToT), who will be facilitators of subsequent trainings
arranged at community or regional levels.

END