On the early morning of 1 September, a reported 200 al-Shabaab militants raided an AMISOM base in the Lower Shabelle town of Janaale, killing between 20 and 50 Ugandan troops while 50 others are believed to be missing. Al-Shabaab used… Read More ›

SNA
AMISOM and Somali Forces Take Major Towns from Al-Shabaab — What’s Next?
Kenyan, Ethiopian, and Somali forces recently seized Baardheere and Diinsoor from al-Shabaab after a long pause in major operations and a withdrawal of several towns during Ramadan due to al-Shabaab’s devastating attack against AMISOM’s Burundian troops in Leego. Timed perfectly… Read More ›
After Nominating New Ambassador, Is the U.S. Really Deepening Ties in Somalia?
U.S. President Barack Obama nominated career diplomat Katherine Dhanani as Ambassador to Somalia, eight months after Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman revealed the intent of the U.S. to do so at a USIP event in Washington, D.C. The State Department hailed… Read More ›
Putting the Puzzle Together: What Does the Future Hold for Somalia’s Military Forces?
The prospect of AMISOM forces leaving Somalia in the coming years depends on the capacity of the country’s regional and federal military forces to finally cooperate and unite under a Somali National Army that looks much differently than the current… Read More ›
Key Factors Distinguish al-Shabaab’s Internal Divisions, Somalia’s Other Infighting Lots
Key Takeaways: [1] Acute divisions among top al-Shabaab figures is less important than the often existential and broader divisions among other armed groups in Somalia. [2] Training/arming Somali forces is less useful unless deeper divisions are better addressed. On the… Read More ›