Building on the Galkayo Agreement: Mitigating Revenge Killings

Authors: Khalif Abdirahman and Nisar Majid

Despite the success of the Galkayo peace agreement, signed in 2017, a series of revenge killings have taken place since late 2022, threatening the agreement and the resulting positive momentum witnessed in Galkayo. These revenge killings are the worst escalations of violence in the city since the 2017 agreement, and reflect the limitations of the government and the underlying risk of further conflict.

This policy brief highlights the recent cases of revenge killings in Galkayo, Somalia, and discusses some of the emerging issues, including the competing roles of government and elders, and the significance of ‘drunkards’ (cabtoy) and WhatsApp groups linking local and diaspora populations. Such groups may include hidden Al Shabaab elements.