In Somalia, Alternative Dispute Resolution has been used as a synonym for the historic and cultural Somali customary mediation and justice system known as the xeer. Under the xeer, elders act as mediators or arbiters. They listen to both sides of a dispute and propose an often compensation-based solution, which both sides will have vowed to accept prior to the process. This mode of dispute resolution precedes any rights-based justice institutions in Somalia and has been part and parcel of Somali socio-political structures.
