Preventing conflict through early warning, early response in Somalia
17 October 2024
In Somalia, Saferworld and partners recently established an Early Warning, Early Response (EWER) system and conducted training for EWER ‘champions’ to monitor and respond to conflict and violence.
EWER systems can be valuable tools to prevent or reduce conflict. They can mitigate potential outbreaks of violence, improve security, and bring communities closer together by addressing issues before they escalate. With partners Somali Women’s Studies Centre (SWSC) in Jubaland State and Bay Women Network Association (BAYWAN) in South West State, Saferworld recently trained 200 EWER champions on EWER data collection and monitoring in Kismayo, Baidoa, Dhobley and Hudur. These volunteers – 65 men and 135 women – include young people, elders, internally displaced people, minorities, women activists, journalists, and representatives of community-based and civil society organisations. The training focused on building the champions’ data collection skills, giving them the knowledge to monitor, report and respond to incidents of conflict and violence and to record these in the EWER system.
The EWER system, which was set up by Saferworld and partners, identifies and analyses data on emerging conflict dynamics and violence specifically affecting women, young people and marginalised groups, including internally displaced people and people with disabilities. The system doesn’t just collect raw data: it transforms it into actions. With our partners we analyse the data and produce monthly reports on security and conflict-related issues. These reports offer a detailed understanding of conflict trends, violence and emerging security threats. Saferworld and partners then present the reports to police, civil society organisations, NGOs, and clan and religious leaders, giving them the information they need to shape operational and policy responses to safety and security issues. For example, by identifying early signs of violence, communities and authorities can take preventative measures – like organising peace dialogues – before situations escalate. EWER volunteers also connect victims of conflict and violence to service providers, such as the police, courts, or NGOs working on the prevention of gender-based violence.
The opening sessions of the EWER trainings were attended by the Ministers of Women, Family and Human Rights for Jubaland and South West States, Hon. Adar Ismail and Hon. Nasra Aweis. Over 40 government officials also attended, including members of parliament, director generals, district administration officials and police officers. Saferworld, SWSC and BAYWAN also held meetings in each city where the training took place, to build relationships between the EWER champions and government officials.
This work is part of an EU-funded project. As the project continues, with our partners we will raise community awareness of channels for reporting incidents of violence to the EWER system, and let communities know how victims of violence, particularly gender-based violence, can access support services like medical, psychological and legal assistance. Through awareness-raising campaigns, we will also emphasise the system’s principle of confidentiality: it is crucial for communities to trust the system, and safeguarding personal information, particularly in sensitive cases that involve gender-based violence, is essential for building and maintaining that trust.
Find out more about our work in Somalia.