Paper short abstract:

This paper looks at the relationship between human security and diaspora humanitarianism in Somalia. The paper shows how diasporas are already new and frontline humanitarian actors in Somalia and how their different activities contribute to human security in Somalia.

Paper long abstract:

Migrant remittances—money and other valuable goods that migrants send to their loved ones —have been at the core of many global and scholarly debates. Remittances are important external financial inflows to Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Last year alone, SSA received $ 49 billion in remittances (Ratha et al., 2022). Remittances have crucial for realizing human security in SSA and the Horn of Africa. A unique case is a Somali diaspora. Somali diaspora is well-connected to their country and has the potential to contribute to their country’s human security.

Human security as a conceptual framework can expand our understanding of security to include economic, health, food, personal, political community, and environmental security (Gómez & Gasper, 2013). To achieve human security, different scholars and policymakers have proposed different ways. However, what is always overlooked is the role of diaspora humanitarianism and how it contributes to human security in post-conflict societies like Somalia. This paper is an effort to contribute to this limited scholarship. Drawing from fieldwork conducted in Somalia over 18 months in 2020 and 2021, the paper shows how Danwadaag as a global Somali diaspora humanitarian network is contributing to human security in their country of origin.