Tag "Somalia"
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.
Will the link between climate change and conflict be recognised?
Although scientists, politicians and academics differ as to whether climate change directly causes armed conflict, humanitarian organisations like the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent believe the role climate change plays in violent strife can no longer be ignored. Communities have been torn apart by ethnic tensions exacerbated by drought-induced resource scarcity, and if world leaders fail to address the devastating effects of climate change, peacekeeping efforts in unstable territories could suffer.
Kenya: Camp Closures Weaponised as Relations with Somalia Sour
The maritime dispute between Kenya and Somalia has dragged diplomatic relations between the two neighbours to a new low, with the most likely outcome favouring Somalia. In threatening to close Dadaab and Kakuma, Kenya may be seeking a new source of pressure to apply to Mogadishu through deploying the prospect of thousands of returnees as leverage.
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.
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.
New Pirates of the Caribbean: Growing instability in Venezuela
Globally, the threat of piracy has been tackled with impressive and effective joint international efforts. In some parts of the world, though, the threat is growing.
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.
The Gulf crisis echoes in Africa
The Qatari Emir’s visit to West Africa underlines the continued strategic importance of Africa in the ongoing Gulf crisis.
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.
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.
