Depending on who you ask, Hargeisa is the capital of the country of Somaliland, or a city in the northwestern part of Somalia. After the collapse of Somalia’s government in 1991 and the ensuing civil war in and around Mogadishu, Somaliland reclaimed its independence from Somalia.
By almost any measure, Somaliland has created a stable area that has its own port, currency, and environmental initiatives—but almost no international recognition. Unresolved issues like borders to the east, ownership of the airspace above Hargeisa and Berbera, and conflicting entry visa regulations underscore the importance of peace-oriented people-to-people work in various societal sectors.
As citizen diplomats interested in long-term peace in the region, Steven Goodman and Lee Cassanelli’s goal was to tape television segments of Higher Education Today, Goodman’s talk show that spotlights academic initiatives and community outreach by universities across the globe. Goodman spoke to Peace News Network (PNN) about the following initiatives that they observed in the summer of 2026, which are helping to build peace in Somaliland.
Environmental Efforts
The Geed Deeble Botanical Garden is a large oasis in an even larger arid region. Environmental efforts in Somaliland are especially important given the harsh terrain that needs to sustain life for people, animals, insects, and plants.
“As in other parts of Africa, local efforts to protect the environment encourage collective respect and care for the land, which in turn leads to more peaceful co-existence in districts immediately surrounding protected areas,” Goodman said.
While the efforts highlighted are indeed significant, the Geed Debble Botanical Garden is unique. Houses in the villages along the road from Hargeisa to Geed Debble made clear some of the abject poverty that is all too common in various parts of Africa.
Goodman noted that for a greater regional impact, the botanical garden and nearby cheetah preservation center could eventually expand and try to employ more local residents. This, in turn, would increase economic activity in the area and enable the conservationists to make even a greater impact in and around the specially-preserved environments, he said.
Healthcare
The next segment featured the work of the Edna Adan Hospital, including a short interview with the hospital’s founder. Edna Adan, 88 years old and still working full time, first came to the United States as a 29-year-old first lady of Somalia.
Goodman, with Cassanelli’s assistance, also interviewed a doctor who grew up in a refugee camp and is now the hospital’s head of surgery. The segment concluded with the director of dentistry who trains and physically transports students to rural parts of Somaliland in order to bring dental care to the countryside.
“The hospital’s promotion of peace through healthcare in the region cannot be overstated. Patients come from all walks of life, including from the Issa, Habr Awal, Darod, and Dir clans,” Goodman said.
The hospital’s outreach to rural areas, he said, further brings to a region shared services that impact the entire population; a population that is still only one generation removed from a civil war. Medical services in group settings can encourage people to form common bonds with other patients and service providers they might not necessarily know in the course of daily life.
However, Goodman noted that macro and micro challenges of hospital management abound. The major challenge, Goodman said, is economic. Patients with the most needs are not necessarily the wealthiest ones. Someone has to pay for all the cutting-edge medical equipment used in a hospital.
Another challenge is clean water. At great expense, hospital management has an arrangement with a water company that physically delivers clean water on a regular basis to the hospital. Security is also an issue at any hospital, including the safety of patients and staff as well as the protection and maintenance of incredibly expensive equipment.
Culture
The final segment highlighted Hargeisa’s cultural center, which exhibits artifacts in a museum-like venue that also hosts regular live performances and an annual book fair. The maps and descriptive commentary, Goodman said, helped shape a made-for-television overview of Somaliland’s culture and history.
The center promotes peace by encouraging patrons to study and enjoy their shared heritage rather than focus repeatedly on narratives that tear apart the underpinnings of civil society. “Many of the cultural programs are geared toward young people who have a vested interest in living in a peaceful society that provides ample space for shared growth,” Goodman said.
Museums and cultural centers cannot be all things to all people. There are physical limitations on exhibits based on the size of the venue itself. Perhaps the more challenging limitation from a peacemaking perspective, Goodman said, is how much contentious history to include or not include in exhibits. Museum curators around the world struggle with this as they decide which items to show the public and then how best to frame the discussions about those items.
The ties extended beyond the tapings. Goodman and Cassanelli met with a delegation of educators and cooks from Denmark also engaged in citizen peace diplomacy, albeit through food.
While these peace efforts may not bring a perfect peace to the Horn of Africa overnight, Goodman and Cassanelli observed that they are playing a strong role in engaging Somalilanders from different clans and walks of life.
Keywords: Somaliland, Somalilanders, academic, peacebuilding, initiative, initiatives, botanical garden, environmental, healthcare, culture, peace, conflict, conflict resolution
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
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