New Study Links Civil Registration to Security and State Stability in Somalia

Introduction: Identity at the Heart of the Somali State

In fragile and post-conflict states, identity is power. Who exists legally, who can be counted, and who can be verified determines not only access to services, but also the state’s ability to govern, secure its territory, and build trust with citizens. In Somalia, where decades of conflict dismantled institutional foundations, the absence of a comprehensive civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system has had consequences far beyond administration.

The study “The Role of Civil Registration in Enhancing National Security and Stability in Somalia” by Abshir Moalim Mohamed (Dhiblawe) situates civil registration at the intersection of security, governance, and state-building. Rather than treating registration as a bureaucratic concern, the research frames it as a strategic instrument for restoring authority, preventing insecurity, and strengthening social cohesion  .

This review article synthesizes the study’s key findings, theoretical foundations, empirical evidence, and policy implications, highlighting why civil registration must be elevated to a national priority in Somalia’s recovery agenda.

Somalia’s Civil Registration Crisis: From State Collapse to Security Vacuum

Somalia’s civil registration system effectively collapsed with the disintegration of the central state in the early 1990s. What followed was a fragmented landscape in which local administrations, municipalities, and even non-state actors assumed partial registration functions—often inconsistently and without national coordination.

The study underscores that this fragmentation produced severe governance deficits:

●      No reliable population data●      Inability to verify identities

●      Weak service targeting

●      Vulnerability to fraud and infiltration

The consequences have been profound. Insecurity has flourished in an environment where individuals can move, vote, recruit, or evade law enforcement without verifiable identity. Armed groups such as Al-Shabaab have exploited these gaps to recruit, plan attacks, and move across regions undetected. In this context, the absence of civil registration is not neutral—it actively undermines security.

The Governance and State-Building Framework

The study is grounded in governance and state-building theory, particularly the argument that effective states rest on functional institutions capable of accountability, inclusion, and service delivery. Civil registration is presented as one of the most basic—but also most transformative—of these institutions.

By systematically recording births, deaths, marriages, and divorces, civil registration provides:

●      Legal identity and recognition

●      Demographic data for policy planning

●      A foundation for citizen–state relations

In Somalia’s post-conflict context—marked by displacement, clan politics, and institutional fragility—civil registration also performs a symbolic function: it signals the return of the state as a guarantor of rights and order. The study argues that rebuilding registration systems is therefore inseparable from rebuilding legitimacy  .

Civil Registration and National Security: Evidence from the Field

One of the study’s strongest contributions is its empirical assessment of how stakeholders perceive the security value of civil registration. Based on surveys of government officials, NGO representatives, and community leaders, the findings show overwhelming consensus:

●      90% of respondents agree civil registration helps prevent fraud

●      85% say it strengthens identity verification

●      78% link it directly to improved governance

These findings reinforce the argument that civil registration enhances national security in multiple ways. First, it enables reliable identification—critical for border control, counterterrorism operations, and electoral integrity. Second, it limits opportunities for identity manipulation, which terrorist networks and criminal groups depend on. Third, it supports age verification, reducing the risk of child recruitment into armed forces.

In short, the study demonstrates that security operations without a functional identity system are structurally constrained—and often reactive rather than preventive  .

Stability Beyond Security: Social Inclusion and Service Delivery

While security is central, the study is careful to show that civil registration also underpins broader national stability. Stability, in this framing, is not merely the absence of violence, but the presence of functional governance and social inclusion.