Federal Somalia: Not If but How

A significant majority of Somalis favor a federal system of governance, despite serious misgivings.  This is according to a research project concluded by HIPS that spun across 5 major cities in Somalia.

The majority of those surveyed consider federalism as the best way to achieve a power-sharing mechanism among Somali clans whereas a vertical system of governance with a highly centralized unitary state is seen as inherently undemocratic and oppressive.

People demand horizontal power structures where they can retain a fair degree of influence at the local level.