Galkayo occupies a uniquely important position in Somalia: it is a major commercial centre, a meeting point of communities and administrations, and a vital link between northern, central, and southern regions. Yet the city has experienced recurrent political, communal, and security-related conflict from colonial-era divisions and the upheavals following state collapse to inter-administration tensions, local disputes, and threats from violent extremist groups. This policy article examines the principal drivers of Galkayo’s fragility and the peace agreements and local mechanisms that have repeatedly prevented tensions from escalating. It finds that the city’s vulnerability is structural but not inevitable. Every major conflict in Galkayo’s modern history has ultimately ended through negotiation, supported by elders, religious leaders, businesspeople, women, local authorities, and security institutions. The article argues that durable peace requires protecting Galkayo from wider political disputes, strengthening joint security and early-warning mechanisms, institutionalising dialogue between the two administrations and local communities, addressing outstanding land and resource disputes, and investing in services and economic opportunities that benefit the whole city. Galkayo should therefore be understood not only as a potential conflict flashpoint but also as an important model of Somali-led reconciliation. Strengthening its existing peace architecture could transform fragile coexistence into durable stability, with benefits extending across Mudug and Somalia as a whole.