Abstract
An evolving body of literature calls for politically realistic security and justice interventions that reflect the plurality of norms, power and legitimacy in the security and justice arena. In this arena, customary authorities may provide more security and justice than the state, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. They matter for peace, security, and development, but engaging them requires donors to navigate hidden power structures and illiberal traditions and ideas. In response to this complexity, this article proposes an approach for working with customary authorities – supporting fluid networks of customary, community and state agents and the political bargaining between them. Looking at a specifically conflict-affected area of the Horn, this paper provides an important survey of what we know, and what we don’t know and embraces customary authorities’ agency in change.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 611-633 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | Conflict, Security & Development |
Volume | 23 |
Issue number | 6 |
Early online date | 14 Dec 2023 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 14 Dec 2023 |
Keywords
- Legal pluralism
- customary justice
- security and justice
- Horn of Africa
- hybrid justice