Category Archives: Somalia

By Robert Asketill We were extremely disappointed with Thursday’s international conference on Somalia. Most emphasis was on aggressive moves against the country; on airstrikes against the Al Shabaab militant group; whispers of drone attacks; British military “assets” in the region including Royal Navy warships operating with the international anti-piracy task force. The British Prime Minister’s response to questions suggested a shallow knowledge of the country’s history, falling back on describing Somalia as a “complex jigsaw puzzle” and warning that there was “no single solution” for restoring stability in the war-torn nation. So why, we ask, bring some of the most powerful people from fifty different nations together including the US … Continue reading →

By the International Crisis Group The next six months will be crucial for Somalia. The international community is taking a renewed interest in the country; the mandate of the feeble and dysfunctional Transitional Federal Government (TFG) expires in a half-year; and emboldened troops from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Kenya and Ethiopia are keen to deal the weakened (though still potent) extremist Islamist movement Al-Shabaab further defeats. This confluence of factors presents the best chance in years for peace and stability in the south and centre of the country. To achieve that, however, requires regional and wider international unity of purpose and an agreement on basic principles; otherwise … Continue reading →