Paper short abstract:

Returnees to Somaliland are playing a significant role in the socioeconomic, political and cultural development of the country. The aim of this paper is to highlight the political character of returnees and their active participation within the local reconfiguration of power.

Paper long abstract:

In the last two decades Hargeisa has witnessed the return of a growing number of well educated, first generation Somalilanders from abroad who succeeded to well integrate in the host country and accumulate skills in terms of language, education and networks. Once back to Somaliland, they occupy important positions, particularly within the development industry. In fact, there is a growing trend among returnees to be employed within United Nations agencies and other non-governmental organizations that offer facilities to returnees with a western background. Strategic positions within the development industry give returnees the opportunity to make claims on their personal engagement in the development of the country. Through their discourses, returnees present themselves as the only agents of change and development, those who know better than others how to restore the country.

This paper critically explores the link between returnees and development. By consider them as political actors, it argues that returnees' narratives about development and their discourse on "difference-making" can be considered as strategies applied to increase their power and legitimize their return.

The ethnographic material draws from several field studies carried out in Hargeisa from March 2009 to August 2012. Primary data are based on participant observation and in-depth interviews with diaspora members, returnees and local actors.