Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) plays a critical role in addressing environmental, social, and economic challenges, particularly in post-conflict regions such as Somalia. This study evaluates the integration of ESD within Somali universities, aiming to assess educators’ knowledge, attitudes, practices, and perceived barriers. A quantitative methodology was employed, utilizing structured questionnaires administered to 247 university lecturers across five universities. Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, complemented by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and regression analysis to identify relationships between variables. The results revealed a strong consensus on the importance of ESD, with a mean score of 4.25 for the statement “ESD is crucial for Somalia’s development.” However, systemic barriers such as the mean score for time constraints was 3.79 and insufficient institutional support 48.6% were significant obstacles. Teaching practices emerged as the most critical factor for ESD integration, with the inclusion of sustainability topics achieving the highest factor loading of 0.79. Correlation analysis indicated a positive relationship between confidence in teaching sustainability and the inclusion of ESD topics r = 0.238. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions, such as curriculum reform and professional development programs, to overcome barriers and foster sustainable development in Somali universities.