Somalia

Economics

Military & Security

The East African Community trade bloc, or EAC, officially admitted Somalia as its eighth member, The EastAfrican reported on Nov. 25. 

Somalia: East African Community Admits Somalia as Eighth Member

Burkina Faso

Central African Republic

Eritrea

Mali

Zimbabwe

Russia

Politics

Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said Moscow had started shipments of free grain totalling up to 200,000 tons and destined for six African countries, Reuters reported on Nov. 17.

Sub-Saharan Africa: First Shipment of Russian Grain En Route to Burkina Faso and Somalia

At least 30 pro-government fighters, including soldiers, were killed in Oct. 4 clashes with Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist militia, Reuters reported the following day.

Somalia: At least 30 Pro-Government Fighters Killed in Clashes With al Shabaab

Somalia's lower house of parliament on March 8 approved a new anti-terrorism law to provide a legal framework for fighting terrorism, with 133 members voting in favor, three rejecting it and seven abstaining, Garowe Online reported March 9.

Somalia: Lower House Approves Anti-Terrorism Bill

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached a staff-level agreement with Somalia that will release $10 million in immediate relief, Reuters reported Oct. 17.

Somalia: Government Reaches Staff Agreement With IMF Ahead of Potential Debt Forgiveness in 2023

The Somali government claims to have forced al Shabaab militants out of 30 villages over the last month, many of which served as traditional strongholds for the militant group in Somalia’s central Hiran region, Voice of America reported Sept. 20.

Somalia: Military Continues Offensive Against Al Shabaab Alongside Allied Militias

Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre named Mukhtar Robow, a co-founder and former spokesperson for the al-Shabab extremist group, as the country's minister of religious affairs, Reuters reported Aug. 2.

Somalia: Al-Shabab Co-Founder Appointed Minister of Religious Affairs

The East African Community (EAC) agreed to fast-track the verification process aimed at determining Somalia's readiness to join the bloc, The East African reported July 23.

Somalia: EAC to Fast-Track Somalia's Membership Verification Process

Media

Podcasts

What are the implications of ATMIS' withdrawal from Somalia?

Essential Geopolitics: Somalia's Security Outlook

What do al Shabaab's territorial losses mean for Somalia?

Essential Geopolitics: Al Shabaab's Recent Territorial Losses

RANE global security analyst Charles Thorson talks to Emily Donahue about the growing regional security risks posed by al Shabaab in Somalia.

Essential Geopolitics: Monitoring Al Shabaab

Assessments

People wait for water with containers at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Baidoa, Somalia, on Feb. 13, 2022. 

Security

The Jihadist Wars

East African Integration

The crisis could aid al-Shabaab's recruitment efforts and, in turn, its ability to conduct more terrorist attacks against political leaders in the drought-stricken country.

In Somalia, Food and Water Woes Risk Boosting al-Shabaab and Derailing Elections

Snapshots

Somalian President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on July 5, 2018, in Djibouti.

This latest in a series of confrontations between the president and prime minister will destabilize an already fragile political environment.

Preelection Tensions Surge in Somalia as President Curtails Premier's Powers

Columns

On Security

Niger

United States

Iraq

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Pakistan

A British soldier leaves the Hombori area aboard a Chinook helicopter on March 28, 2019, during the start of the French Barkhane Force operation in Mali's Gourma region. In the short term, the Taliban victory will provide a significant propaganda victory for global jihadist groups; the long-term outlook for global jihadism is much less certain. 

War, Insurgency & Terrorism

The Fight Against the Islamic State

In the short term, the Taliban victory will provide a significant propaganda victory for global jihadist groups; the long-term outlook for global jihadism is much less certain.

Jihadist Terrorism After the Taliban Takeover of Afghanistan

The War in Afghanistan

Mozambique

Indonesia

Malaysia

Singapore

Royal Malaysian Police Special Forces personnel storm a mock hijacked ship during an anti-piracy demonstration exercise June 13, 2007, in Port Klang, Malaysia.

Piracy tends to occur in globally significant locations and counterpiracy options all come at a cost to shippers.

A Primer on Global Maritime Piracy, Part 2

A member of parliament gestures in response to the president’s request to annul a law extending his term in Mogadishu, Somalia, on May 1, 2021. 

Old Leaders in a New Africa

The president's no longer trying to extend his term, but his disputes with state leaders still threaten the country’s stability.

Reversing a Controversial Law Won’t End Somalia's Political Crisis

Guidance

Ethiopia

Kenya

Sudan

Ecuador

China

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Vietnam

A worker hangs traditional red lanterns for the upcoming Spring Festival on Feb. 3, 2021, in Beijing.

COVID-19

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Lunar New Year and an African Union Summit

A hotel in the Somalian city of Kismayo on July 13, 2019, a day after at least 26 people, including several foreigners, were killed and 56 people were injured in a suicide bomb and gun attack claimed by al Shabaab militants.

The move will undermine efforts to consolidate federal control of restive Somalian provinces, and compound security woes amid a U.S. drawdown.

What Cutting off Ties With Kenya Over Sovereignty Means for Somalia

Egypt

Members of the Amhara militia fighting alongside Ethiopian forces in Tigray ride on the back of a truck in Gondar, Ethiopia, on Nov. 8, 2020. 

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

Addis Ababa’s military offensive in Tigray could trigger a wider conflict that further erodes the country’s attractiveness for foreign investment. 


What’s at Stake as Ethiopia Barrels Toward Civil War 

A checkpoint on Sept. 9, 2020, in Mekele, Ethiopia, the day Tigray held regional elections. A military operation against Tigray will not prove easy for the Ethiopian government.

In addition to the secession risk it poses throughout Ethiopia, the conflict could draw in other countries in the region.

Conflict in Tigray Has Major Implications for Ethiopia, and the Region

Located on the Horn of Africa, Somalia shares borders with Djibouti to the northwest, Ethiopia to the west and Kenya to the south. To the north and east along the Indian Ocean, the country has the second-longest coastline in Africa.    Many have classified Somalia as the ultimate failed state, as civil conflict has gripped the country for decades. Some of Somalia's problems stem from the artificiality of the country's borders, as large ethnic Somali populations reside on the other side of the border in Ethiopia and Kenya. This weakness precipitated frequent external challenges to the country, especially during the Cold War when the United States and the Soviet Union staged proxy battles for influence in   Ethiopia and Somalia.    Somalia's biggest challenge lies in addressing a potent Islamist insurgency, followed closely by the need to reconstruct extremely fragile or nonexistent institutions. In addition to the threat posed by Islamist groups such as al Shabaab, deep-seated clan divisions have hindered efforts to foster unity. For example, the Somali National Army has received foreign financial support and training for many years, but it is largely incapable of defending the country amid its own internal divisions.    Furthermore, Ethiopia, the region's landlocked giant, is eager to prevent Somalia from re-emerging as a regional threat, as it did in the 1970s. The massive internal and external challenges facing Mogadishu suggest that international efforts to stabilize the country will continue for years to come.

SITUATION REPORTS

Somalia: East African Community Admits Somalia as Eighth Member

Sub-Saharan Africa: First Shipment of Russian Grain En Route to Burkina Faso and Somalia

Somalia: At least 30 Pro-Government Fighters Killed in Clashes With al Shabaab

Somalia: Lower House Approves Anti-Terrorism Bill

Somalia: Government Reaches Staff Agreement With IMF Ahead of Potential Debt Forgiveness in 2023

Somalia: Military Continues Offensive Against Al Shabaab Alongside Allied Militias

Somalia: Al-Shabab Co-Founder Appointed Minister of Religious Affairs

Somalia: EAC to Fast-Track Somalia's Membership Verification Process

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