In the Somalia case trust has been

In the Somalia case trust has been strongly challenged by recent acts of seemingly
random violence, but it also was compromised earlier by the brutalities of the previous
Siad Barre government and its representatives. In some cases recent events have
reinforced the importance of trust within certain social groups, such as clans, while
unfortunately heightening conflict and distrust between groups. In the words of Simons
(1998: 70): ‘Now more than ever, knowing genealogy does chart who can and who
cannot be trusted’. The segmentary kinship principle of political alliances and trust have
always been present in Somali politics (see Little 2003), but have assumed more
significance recently as faction leaders have deliberately used clanism (‘genealogy’) as
a political weapon. Through the misdirected actions of warlord leaders, clans and their
territories have become forcibly isolated from each other and interactions restricted by
armed factions. In these volatile, risky environments, Somali traders rely on their
extensive kinship ties and on members of their clan and sub-clans.