Tag "al-Shabaab"

Back to homepage
Africa Security

Is Climate Change Fuelling Al-Shabaab’s Resurgence in Somalia?

Somalia has long struggled with the dual challenges of armed conflict and climate change, as observers of the fragile state suggest that the two phenomena are inextricably interlinked. Somalia’s experience illustrates how these complex linkages are indirect and contextual as shifting migration patterns, internal displacement and increased resource pressures exacerbate communal tensions and place unprecedented strain upon traditional modes of conflict management. Al-Shabaab has proved adept at exploiting such natural resource pressures and interclan tensions to fuel their jihadist insurgency in a manner which ominously foreshadows the future climate wars of the twenty-first century.

Africa Politics

Somalia – A Triple Threat to Instability?

Internal and external forces have ominously converged in recent weeks, threatening the tentative state of stability in Somalia. Domestically, President Mohammed Farmaajo’s efforts to manoeuvre his path to re-election in 2021 are sparking considerable internal strife, while internationally, a hurricane of potentially harmful geopolitical winds is circling around Somalia.

Africa Security

A Premature Decision? Assessing The Potential Impact Of Us Troop Withdrawal For The Future Of Somalia

The decision of the outgoing Trump administration to pull out US troops from Somalia by 15 January has come at a particularly critical period for the East African region. This could have broader security and humanitarian implications, threatening the progress of the past decade and leaving the country exposed to the influence of regional actors. 

Middle East/North Africa Security

UAE’s relations with Somalia flounder over Qatar

Since the election of the new Somali President in 2017, the country’s relationship with the UAE has deteriorated steadily. The UAE risks undoing its record of progress in the Horn of Africa.

Security Sub-Saharan Africa

What the terrorist attack in Mogadishu tells us about the resurgence of Al-Shabaab

The latest Al-Shabaab attack in Mogadishu was among the deadliest the group conducted in the country and it signalled the weakness of the Somali government.

Security Sub-Saharan Africa

Location, Location, Location: UAE upping Somalia trade links amidst resurgent piracy threat

Despite the return of piracy off Somalia’s coasts in 2017, the UAE and others continue to bank on the region, sinking millions into new infrastructure.

Security Sub-Saharan Africa

CVE: A necessary tool in Kenya’s security drive

The occurrence of unprecedented terrorist attacks across the globe has driven policy makers to invest in initiatives that prevent rather than react to the roots of violent extremism. As Kenya

Security Sub-Saharan Africa

A portrait of Fadumo Dayib, the hope of Somalia’s future?

Fadumo Dayib is the first woman to run for president of Somalia in the upcoming 2016 elections. Strongly influenced by patriarchate and clans, the country has been devastated by conflicts.

Security Sub-Saharan Africa

Africa, not the Middle East, has seen the sharpest uptick in terrorism

With Nigeria’s Boko Haram overtaking ISIS as the world’s deadliest terrorist organization, and with three out of five of the world’s most lethal terror groups operating in Africa, the beleaguered

Security Sub-Saharan Africa

Can Kenya’s security keep up with trade?

As economic stakes are raised, terrorism and nonproliferation require political focus and follow-through. Fortunately there are signs that promote hope for the future, and Kenya is not alone in the process.