Ilwad Elman from the Elman Peace & Human Rights Centre, briefs the  United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in Somalia at UN headquarters in New York Oct. 3, 2024.  (UN Photo by: Eskinder Debebe)

By Gary Raynaldo   -DIPLOMATIC   TIMES

“We cannot afford to lose another generation to war. With 75 percent of the population under the age 30, they deserve a chance to inherit a future defined by peace rather than conflict,” said Ilwad Elman, a 34-year-old Somali activist and a director of the Elman Peace & Human Rights Centre. Elman made the comments during a UN Security Council’s meeting Thursday on the situation in Somalia.  

Elman is at the forefront of the Somali peace process and a global authority on ending conflict and preventing violent extremism. Elman briefed the Security Council on a range of issues, particularly women and youth.  Elman first briefed the UN Security Council in 2015 regarding Somalia, and said progress has been made in the war-ravaged horn of Africa nation but huge challenges remain. The fight against terror group Al-Shabaab remains a key security priority.  In August, at least 32 people were killed in a suicide bombing and gun attack on a popular beach in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, with Al-Shabab claiming responsibility.   

Elman said the briefing comes at a “pivotal moment” for Somalia as the country prepares to take a seat on the UN Security Council next year. Somalia was elected in June to serve a two-year term on the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member.   “In 2015, it was my first time briefing the UN Security Council.  Since then, the progress we have made is significant and visible,” Elman told the Council.  “The hope and momentum within the country are palatable. For anyone who has worked in or on Somalia for more than a year, claiming that nothing is changing is simply inaccurate.”  She called for more women and youth to participate in the peace process.   “Somalia’s nascent and fragile peace cannot be sustained in an environment where the general populace is excluded from the processes that ensure their well-being,” she said. Elman said the youth are crucial to the future of Somalia and who yearn for peace in the country.

She told the Council that Somalia stands at a critical juncture with much to look forward to and the nation’s people are looking to their leaders with high expectations. “However, the reality is that Somalia is struggling to address the urgent needs of 2.8 million internally displaced people. Furthermore, the absence of the functioning and effective criminal justice system has perpetuated a climate of impunity for those responsible for violent crimes including sexual violence, leaving countless victims without justice.”