Somalia: the Transitional Government on Life Support
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Al Shabaab's American Recruits
Al Shabaab’s American Recruits Updated: February, 2015 A wave of Americans traveling to Somalia to fight with Al Shabaab, an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group, was described by the FBI as one of the "highest priorities in anti-terrorism." Americans began traveling to Somalia to join Al Shabaab in 2007, around the time the group stepped up its insurgency against Somalia's transitional government and its Ethiopian supporters, who have since withdrawn. At least 50 U.S. citizens and permanent residents are believed to have joined or attempted to join or aid the group since that time. The number of Americans joining Al Shabaab began to decline in 2012, and by 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) replaced Al Shabaab as the terrorist group of choice for U.S. recruits. However, there continue to be new cases of Americans attempting to join or aid Al Shabaab. These Americans have received weapons training alongside recruits from other countries, including Britain, Australia, Sweden and Canada, and have used the training to fight against Ethiopian forces, African Union troops and the internationally-supported Transitional Federal Government in Somalia, according to court documents. Most of the American men training with Al Shabaab are believed to have been radicalized in the U.S., especially in Minneapolis, according to U.S. officials. The FBI alleges that these young men have been recruited by Al Shabaab both on the Internet and in person. One such recruit from Minneapolis, 22-year-old Abidsalan Hussein Ali, was one of two suicide bombers who attacked African Union troops on October 29, 2011. -
Somalia Conflict Insight
PEACE & SECURITY REPORT Vol. 1 December 2019 SOMALIA CONFLICT INSIGHT ABOUT THE REPORT The purpose of this report is to provide analysis and recommendations to national, regional and continental decision makers in the implementation of peace and www.ipss-addis.org/publications security-related instruments. IPSS PEACE & SECURITY REPORT CONTENTS SITUATION ANALYSIS 2 CAUSES OF THE CONFLICT 3 ACTORS 6 DYNAMICS OF THE CONFLICT 11 RESPONSES 15 SCENARIOS 17 STRATEGIC OPTIONS 18 REFERENCES 19 SOMALIA CONFLICT TIMELINE (1960-2019) 21 CONTRIBUTORS Dr. Mesfin Gebremichael (Editor in Chief) Tsion Belay (Author) Alagaw Ababu Chedine Tazi Cynthia Happi Moussa Soumahoro Muluka Shifa Pezu Mukwakwa Tigist Kebede Feyissa EDITING, DESIGN & LAYOUT Michelle Mendi Muita (Editor) Abel B Ayalew (Design & Layout) © 2019 Institute for Peace and Security Studies | Addis Ababa University. All rights reserved. 1 SOMALIA CONFLICT INSIGHT SITUATION ANALYSIS PO G LI P DP FE U P E L E X A R P T E I C C O A T N A P I N T C A Y 13.611M 500 USD 56.5 A T B I R T H ( ) Y S E R A HU NE RE M IG Cs A H N B O D Figure 1: Country profile U E Djibouti R and demographics V S E Ethiopia Index: Unknown L IGAD O Kenya Rank: Unknown P COMESA 1 M Yemen (maritime Source: Populationdata.net. (2019) E N borders) 1 Populationdata.net. (2019, March T I N 25). Country profile/Somalia. Retrieved D ) E I X D ( H fromhttps://en.populationdata.net/ countries/somalia/ Located in the Eastern part of Africa, Somalia is one of As a result of several peace and reconciliation efforts the world’s most geographically strategic countries, by international and regional actors, a Transitional connecting the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and the Gulf National Government (TNG) was formed in 2000. -
Jihadism in Africa Local Causes, Regional Expansion, International Alliances
SWP Research Paper Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik German Institute for International and Security Affairs Guido Steinberg and Annette Weber (Eds.) Jihadism in Africa Local Causes, Regional Expansion, International Alliances RP 5 June 2015 Berlin All rights reserved. © Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, 2015 SWP Research Papers are peer reviewed by senior researchers and the execu- tive board of the Institute. They express exclusively the personal views of the authors. SWP Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik German Institute for International and Security Affairs Ludwigkirchplatz 34 10719 Berlin Germany Phone +49 30 880 07-0 Fax +49 30 880 07-100 www.swp-berlin.org [email protected] ISSN 1863-1053 Translation by Meredith Dale (Updated English version of SWP-Studie 7/2015) Table of Contents 5 Problems and Recommendations 7 Jihadism in Africa: An Introduction Guido Steinberg and Annette Weber 13 Al-Shabaab: Youth without God Annette Weber 31 Libya: A Jihadist Growth Market Wolfram Lacher 51 Going “Glocal”: Jihadism in Algeria and Tunisia Isabelle Werenfels 69 Spreading Local Roots: AQIM and Its Offshoots in the Sahara Wolfram Lacher and Guido Steinberg 85 Boko Haram: Threat to Nigeria and Its Northern Neighbours Moritz Hütte, Guido Steinberg and Annette Weber 99 Conclusions and Recommendations Guido Steinberg and Annette Weber 103 Appendix 103 Abbreviations 104 The Authors Problems and Recommendations Jihadism in Africa: Local Causes, Regional Expansion, International Alliances The transnational terrorism of the twenty-first century feeds on local and regional conflicts, without which most terrorist groups would never have appeared in the first place. That is the case in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Syria and Iraq, as well as in North and West Africa and the Horn of Africa. -
Country of Origin Information Report Somalia July 2008
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT SOMALIA 30 JULY 2008 UK BORDER AGENCY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE 30 JULY 2008 SOMALIA Contents Preface LATEST NEWS EVENTS IN SOMALIA, FROM 4 JULY 2008 TO 30 JULY 2008 REPORTS ON SOMALIA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED SINCE 4 JULY 2008 Paragraphs Background Information GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 1.01 Maps .............................................................................................. 1.04 ECONOMY ................................................................................................. 2.01 Currency change, 2008 ................................................................ 2.06 Drought and famine, 2008 ........................................................... 2.10 Telecommunications.................................................................... 2.14 HISTORY ................................................................................................... 3.01 Collapse of central government and civil war ........................... 3.01 Peace initiatives 2000-2006 ......................................................... 3.14 ‘South West State of Somalia’ (Bay and Bakool) ...................... 3.19 ‘Puntland’ Regional Administration............................................ 3.20 The ‘Republic of Somaliland’ ...................................................... 3.21 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ........................................................................... 4.01 CONSTITUTION ......................................................................................... -
Somalia: Al-Shabaab – It Will Be a Long War
Policy Briefing Africa Briefing N°99 Nairobi/Brussels, 26 June 2014 Somalia: Al-Shabaab – It Will Be a Long War I. Overview Despite the recent military surge against Somalia’s armed Islamist extremist and self- declared al-Qaeda affiliate, Al-Shabaab, its conclusive “defeat” remains elusive. The most likely scenario – already in evidence – is that its armed units will retreat to small- er, remote and rural enclaves, exploiting entrenched and ever-changing clan-based competition; at the same time, other groups of radicalised and well-trained individ- uals will continue to carry out assassinations and terrorist attacks in urban areas, in- cluding increasingly in neighbouring countries, especially Kenya. The long connec- tion between Al-Shabaab’s current leadership and al-Qaeda is likely to strengthen. A critical breakthrough in the fight against the group cannot, therefore, be achieved by force of arms, even less so when it is foreign militaries, not the Somali National Army (SNA), that are in the lead. A more politically-focused approach is required. Even as its territory is squeezed in the medium term, Al-Shabaab will continue to control both money and minds. It has the advantage of at least three decades of Salafi-Wahhabi proselytisation (daawa) in Somalia; social conservatism is already strongly entrenched – including in Somaliland and among Somali minorities in neigh- bouring states – giving it deep reservoirs of fiscal and ideological support, even with- out the intimidation it routinely employs. An additional factor is the group’s proven ability to adapt, militarily and politically – flexibility that is assisted by its leadership’s freedom from direct accountability to any single constituency. -
SOMALIA: EVSURIVG LOVG-TERM PEACE AVD Stabilitu
UN ITE D S TATE S D E PAR T M E N T O F S TATE SOMALIA: ENSURING LONG-TERM PEACE AND STABILITY “Unchecked, terrorists will continue to undermine and threaten stability and the lives of civilians inside Somalia and throughout the region. Fighting terrorism in Somalia is not our sole priority, but rather is part of a comprehensive strategy to reverse radicalization, improve governance, rule of law, democracy and human rights, and improve economic growth and job creation. This is a difficult and long-term effort in Somalia. As we encourage political dialogue, we will continue to seek to isolate those who, out of extremism, refuse dialogue and insist on violence. We will remain engaged in working with our regional partners, Somali stakeholders, to ensure a successful political process leading to the return of effective governance and lasting peace and stability.” – Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer AL-QAIDA OPERATIVES IN EAST AFRICA Mukhtar Robow (aka Abu Mansoor): Senior military Fazul Abdullah Mohammed (aka Harun Fazul): commander spokesman for al-Shabaab; provided Senior al-Qaida operative in East Africa; was indicted logistical support for al-Qaida operatives inside for his alleged involvement in the bombings of the Somalia; has called for attacks on the African Union United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, forces in Somalia. and Nairobi, Kenya, on August 7, 1998. Ahmed Abdi Godane: Senior member of al-Shabaab; Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan: Senior al-Qaida operative NO PHOTO trained and fought with al-Qaida in Afghanistan; in East Africa; Wanted for questioning in connection AVAILABLE implicated in the murders of Western aid workers in with the 2002 attacks against a hotel and an Israeli Somaliland in 2003 and 2004. -
Somalia Terror Threat
THECHRISTOPHER TERROR February 12, THREAT FROM THE TERROR THREAT FROM SOMALIA THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF AL SHABAAB CHRISTOPHER HARNISCH APPENDICES AND MAPS BY KATHERINE ZIMMERMAN FEBRUARY 12, 2010 A REPORT BY THE CRITICAL THREATS PROJECT OF THE AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE THE TERROR THREAT FROM SOMALIA CHRISTOPHER HARNISCH February 12, 2010 Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 IMPORTANT GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS IN SOMALIA 3 NOTABLE INDIVIDUALS 4 INTRODUCTION 8 ORIGINS OF AL SHABAAB 10 GAINING CONTROL, GOVERNING, AND MAINTAINING CONTROL 14 AL SHABAAB’S RELATIONSHIP WITH AL QAEDA, THE GLOBAL JIHAD MOVEMENT, AND ITS GLOBAL IDEOLOGY 19 INTERNATIONAL RECRUITING AND ITS IMPACT 29 AL SHABAAB’S INTERNATIONAL THREATS 33 THREAT ASSESSMENT AND CONCLUSION 35 APPENDIX A: TIMELINE OF MAJOR SECURITY EVENTS IN SOMALIA 37 APPENDIX B: MAJOR SUICIDE ATTACKS AND ASSASSINATIONS CLAIMED BY OR ATTRIBUTED TO AL SHABAAB 47 NOTES 51 Maps MAP OF THE HORN OF AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST 5 POLITICAL MAP OF SOMALIA 6 MAP OF ISLAMIST-CONTROLLED AND INFLUENCED AREAS IN SOMALIA 7 www.criticalthreats.org THE TERROR THREAT FROM SOMALIA CHRISTOPHER HARNISCH February 12, 2010 Executive Summary hree hundred people nearly died in the skies of and assassinations. Al Shabaab’s primary objectives at TMichigan on Christmas Day, 2009 when a Niger- the time of the Ethiopian invasion appeared to be ian terrorist attempted to blow up a plane destined geographically limited to Somalia, and perhaps the for Detroit. The terrorist was an operative of an al Horn of Africa. The group’s rhetoric and behavior, Qaeda franchise based in Yemen called al Qaeda in however, have shifted over the past two years reflect- the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). -
Somalia's Politics: the Usual Business?
CONFLICT RESEARCH PROGRAMME Research at LSE Conflict Research Programme Somalia’s Politics: The Usual Business? A Synthesis Paper of the Conflict Research Programme Nisar Majid, Aditya Sarkar, Claire Elder, Khalif Abdirahman, Sarah Detzner, Jared Miller and Alex de Waal About the Conflict Research Programme The Conflict Research Programme is a four-year research programme hosted by LSE IDEAS and funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Our goal is to understand and analyse the nature of contemporary conflict and to identify international interventions that ‘work’ in the sense of reducing violence, or contributing more broadly to the security of individuals and communities who experience conflict. © Nisar Majid, Aditya Sarkar, Claire Elder, Khalif Abdirahman, Sarah Detzner, Jared Miller and Alex de Waal 2021. This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 3 Somalia’s Politics: The Usual Business? Contents 1. Overview 4 2. Introduction 5 3. Emergence and Evolution of the Political Marketplace 8 4. Finance, Flows of Resources and Political Budgets 21 External patronage 23 Logistics and humanitarian contracts/resources 24 Revenue generation – taxation at seaports, airports, checkpoints 26 Business 26 Covid and the marketplace 28 5. Control of Violence 29 The FGS 29 The FMS 31 Al-Shabaab 32 External actors 33 6. (Informal) Norms and Constraints 34 The ‘clan’ system 34 Business, clan and Islam 35 Clan as a regulating structure in peace making 35 Peacemaking and state-building at the Puntland-Galmudug border 36 Justice and security in Kismayo 38 Transnational citizenship and resistance 39 7. -
From the Bottom
Conflict Early Warning Early Response Unit From the bottom up: Southern Regions - Perspectives through conflict analysis and key political actors’ mapping of Gedo, Middle Juba, Lower Juba, and Lower Shabelle - SEPTEMBER 2013 With support from Conflict Dynamics International Conflict Early Warning Early Response Unit From the bottom up: Southern Regions - Perspectives through conflict analysis and key political actors’ mapping of Gedo, Middle Juba, Lower Juba, and Lower Shabelle Version 2 Re-Released Deceber 2013 with research finished June 2013 With support from Conflict Dynamics International Support to the project was made possible through generous contributions from the Government of Norway Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government of Switzerland Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the official position of Conflict Dynamics International or of the Governments of Norway or Switzerland. CONTENTS Abbreviations 7 ACKNOWLEDGMENT 8 Conflict Early Warning Early Response Unit (CEWERU) 8 Objectives 8 Conflict Dynamics International (CDI) 8 From the Country Coordinator 9 I. OVERVIEW 10 Social Conflict 10 Cultural Conflict 10 Political Conflict 10 II. INTRODUCTION 11 Key Findings 11 Opportunities 12 III. GEDO 14 Conflict Map: Gedo 14 Clan Chart: Gedo 15 Introduction: Gedo 16 Key Findings: Gedo 16 History of Conflict: Gedo 16 Cross-Border Clan Conflicts 18 Key Political Actors: Gedo 19 Political Actor Mapping: Gedo 20 Clan Analysis: Gedo 21 Capacity of Current Government Administration: Gedo 21 Conflict Mapping and Analysis: Gedo 23 Conflict Profile: Gedo 23 Conflict Timeline: Gedo 25 Peace Initiative: Gedo 26 IV. MIDDLE JUBA 27 Conflict Map: Middle Juba 27 Clan Chart: Middle Juba 28 Introduction: Middle Juba 29 Key Findings: Middle Juba 29 History of Conflict : Middle Juba 29 Key Political Actors: Middle Juba 29 Political Actor Mapping: Middle Juba 30 Capacity of Current Government Administration: Middle Juba 31 Conflict Mapping and Analysis: Middle Juba 31 Conflict Profile: Middle Juba 31 V. -
Somali Studies International Association 10Th Triennial Conference at the Ohio State University August 16-18 2007 Page
Somali Studies International Association 10th Triennial Conference at The Ohio State University August 16-18 2007 Page Welcome to the Somali Studies International Congress 30 Years Anniversary August 15-18, 2007 Dear Congress Participant: Welcome to the Somali Studies International Congress in what is a truly historic year for Somali scholarship and the premiere association created for that purpose. We are pleased to welcome you to the city of Columbus and the campus of the Ohio State University, and we are looking forward to four days of fellowship and scholarship. The 10th Triennial International Somali Congress will explore the reasons why the intersection between an endless politi- cal crisis and an unprecedented massive global dispersion, buttressed by high speed Internet and affordable communica- tion, has made Somalia a very different society than it was just a decade ago. The social transformations that resulted from these forces have challenged the traditional Somali ways in which individual, group, political, and social identities have been historically understood. One important challenge facing Somali Studies investigators and practitioners is how to critically propose new ways of understanding the social and economic impacts of globalization on Somali communities and, more important, how to describe and analyze the link between Somali Diasporas in Australia, Europe, and North America and those in homeland. Some of the critical issues that need immediate attention include analysis of the social and struc- tural barriers that Somali immigrants face as they attempt to assimilate and integrate into the social and economic fabric of their host communities. By focusing on these challenges, opportunities, and their implications, Somali Studies can suggest appropriate meth- odological and epistemological frameworks for critically understanding the link between transnational Somali communities and their politically contested homeland. -
Journal on Education in Emergencies
JOURNAL ON EDUCATION IN EMERGENCIES The Potential of Conflict-Sensitive Education Approaches in Fragile Countries: The Case of Curriculum Framework Reform and Youth Civic Participation in Somalia Author(s): Marleen Renders and Neven Knezevic Source: Journal on Education in Emergencies¸ Vol 3, No 1 (July 2017), pp 106 - 128 Published by: Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies Stable URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2451/39661 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17609/N8X087 REFERENCES: This is an open-source publication. Distribution is free of charge. All credit must be given to authors as follows: Renders, Marleen and Neven Knezevic. 2017. The Potential of Conflict-Sensitive Education Approaches in Fragile Countries: The Case of Curriculum Framework Reform and Youth Civic Participation in Somalia.” Journal on Education in Emergencies 3(1): 106 - 128. The Journal on Education in Emergencies (JEiE) publishes groundbreaking and outstanding scholarly and practitioner work on education in emergencies (EiE), defined broadly as quality learning opportunities for all ages in situations of crisis, including early childhood development, primary, secondary, non-formal, technical, vocation, higher and adult education. Copyright © 2017, Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies. The Journal on Education in Emergencies published by the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. THE POTENTIAL OF CONFLICT-SENSITIVE EDUCATION APPROACHES IN FRAGILE COUNTRIES: THE CASE OF CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK REFORM AND YOUTH CIVIC PARTICIPATION IN SOMALIA Marleen Renders and Neven Knezevic Education is a basic human right, as well as a precondition for peace, prosperity and justice to return to Somali citizens on a lasting basis. -
Security Council Distr.: General 3 March 2014
United Nations S/2014/140 Security Council Distr.: General 3 March 2014 Original: English Report of the Secretary-General on Somalia I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to paragraph 13 of Security Council resolution 2102 (2013), in which the Council requested me to keep it regularly informed of the implementation of the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) and to provide an assessment of the political and security implications of wider United Nations deployments across Somalia every 90 days. The present report covers major developments that occurred during the period from 16 November 2013 to 15 February 2014. II. Political and security developments A. Political situation 2. The political landscape in Somalia was dominated by the formation of a new cabinet, with regional political processes showing promising signs. Indirect elections in Puntland State of Somalia led to the selection of a new President. In addition, the inauguration of the Interim Juba Administration, witnessed by the international community, and the holding of talks between the Federal Government of Somalia and “Somaliland” were positive steps forward. 3. On 2 December 2013, Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon lost a no confidence motion in the Somali Federal Parliament. On 12 December, following extensive consultations, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud nominated Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed as the new Prime Minister. He was endorsed by the Parliament on 21 December, and on 17 January, Mr. Ahmed announced the formation of his expanded cabinet composed of 25 members, including 2 women. 4. Elsewhere, on 8 January, the Parliament of Puntland elected Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas President for a five-year term.