The Somalia Federal Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism has raised alarm over the misuse of social media in Somalia to spread tribalism and cause civil war.

The Deputy Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Abdirahman Yusuf Al-Cadaala, highlighted a troubling trend being witnessed in the social media spaces in Somalia, where he noted a resurgence of clan-based hatred propaganda.

“We need to think about ways to direct our people to make good use of the social media spaces. On social media our people use tribalism to cause civil war,” said Deputy Minister Alcadaala.

He noted that the Somalia digital landscape has evolved into a new frontline where traditional clan grievances are amplified and the spaces have become a primary driver of inter-clan polarization.

Minister Alcadaala concurred that there is an urgent need to have digital literacy in Somalia and have a collective shift in mindset, instead of using platforms like Facebook, X, and TikTok as battlegrounds.

The Somalia government is looking into creating awareness by creating education for Somali youth on the good use of social media spaces and developing a policy framework that will discourage the use of offensive and insightful language in social media spaces.

Recent research shows Somalia has high mobile connectivity and low digital literacy, which has created a loophole used to propagate clan-based wars.

Diaspora-based influencers often play a major role in inciting conflict, while operating from the safety of foreign countries, where they use platforms like TikTok and Facebook to stir clan pride and provoke retaliatory sentiments without facing local consequences

The Minister argues that the goals is not to silence the Somali people but to reprogram the purpose of their online presence