Federico Donelli and Federico Battera, faculty members at the Department of Political and Social Sciences (DiSPeS) of the University of Trieste, have recently returned from Mogadishu, where they took part as speakers in the course “Training and Capacity Building for Peace and Security in Somalia”. 

Structured around seven thematic modules, the programme involved 40 young Somalis aged 18 to 24—political science students and members of civil-society organisations—selected for their commitment to dialogue, development and peacebuilding processes. The project was funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and promoted by ANOLF Regional FVG APS in partnership with Associazione SAGAL APS, with the collaboration of the local partner Rawdah Youth Organization. 

Hosted at the Rawdah Youth Centre, led by Ahmed Faghi Elmi, Donelli and Battera guided participants through a capacity-building pathway focusing on security, conflict dynamics and electoral processes, combining an international relations perspective with an in-depth reading of the regional context of the Horn of Africa. Designed as an interactive programme, the sessions alternated theoretical framing and analytical tools to interpret transformations in the international order with open discussions and dialogue, supporting the development of critical and analytical skills relevant to the Somali context. 

What made the initiative particularly meaningful was the quality of the exchange with the young participants: questions, reflections and debate turned the training into a process capable of offering depth and nuance that no external reading or desk analysis can fully provide. During the week, Federico Donelli also joined a live connection with BBC News Africa to discuss emerging regional dynamics in the Horn of Africa. 

The course is part of a broader framework of cooperation and academic dialogue involving Italian and Somali stakeholders, including the Somali National University, relevant Somali ministries, the Embassy of Italy in Mogadishu and the Embassy of Somalia in Rome, as well as the National Association Oltre Le Frontiere ETS – ANOLF and the International Observatory on Legality in Trieste. 

A second week of activities is planned in the coming months to ensure continuity and further strengthen dialogue between academic expertise, local perspectives and the engagement of younger generations in peace, security and governance processes in Somalia.