Somali civil war (2009–present)

The Somali civil war (2009–present) is the ongoing phase of the Somali civil war which is concentrated in southern and central Somalia.^[8] It began in late January 2009 with the present conflict mainly between the forces of the Federal Government of Somalia assisted by African Union peacekeeping troops and al-Shabaab militants who pledged alliegence to al-Qaeda during 2012.^[8]

Quick Facts Date, Location ...

Somali civil war
Part of the Somali civil war and the war on terror
Military situation in Somalia as of April 2024    Under control of the Somali government and allies    Under control of al-Shabaab    Under control of the Islamic State    Under control of the self-declared state of Somaliland (For a more detailed map of the current military situation, see here)
Date 31 January 2009 – present (15 years, 3 months, 3 weeks and 2 days) Location Somalia Status Ongoing Merger and split between/of Hizbul Islam and al-Shabaab forces Kenyan military intervention in October 2011 Al-Shabaab becomes an official al-Qaeda affiliate in February 2012 Federal Government formed in August 2012 Formation of the Islamic State in Somalia in October 2015 Somali government launches a major offensive in August 2022, and takes at least a third of Al-Shabaab territory Khatumo Forces capture 3 military bases and towns in the Las Anod District and Sool region.[1]
Belligerents
Al-Qaeda and allies Al-Shabaab Hizbul Islam (until 2010; 2012–2013) Alleged support:  Eritrea[2][3]  Iran[4]  North Korea[5]  Islamic State (since 2015)[6][7] Wilayat al Somal	Somalia Somali Armed Forces[8] Regional forces:  Galmudug Galmudug Security Force ASWJ (until 2018)[9] Himan and Heeb (until 2015)  Jubaland Raskamboni Movement  Puntland Puntland Security Force Puntland Dervish Force Puntland Maritime Police Force Southwestern Somalia ATMIS (since 2022)[8]  Burundi  Djibouti  Ethiopia  Kenya  Uganda AMISOM (until 2022)[8]  Burundi  Djibouti  Ethiopia  Ghana  Kenya  Nigeria  Sierra Leone  Uganda  United States[8][10][11] Supported by:  United Kingdom[12]  Turkey[8][13]  France[14]  Italy[15]  Russia[16][17]
Commanders and leaders
Ahmad Umar (Emir of al-Shabaab) Mahad Karate[18][19] Fuad Qalaf Sheikh Ali Dheere Abdukadir Mohamed Abdukadir Mohamed Mire[20] Jehad Mostafa Hassan Afgooye[21] Abu Musa Mombasa Casualties: Ahmed Godane † (Former Emir of al-Shabaab) Mukhtar Robow  Mohamed Atom  Hassan al-Turki # Ibrahim al-Afghani † Hassan Aweys  Abu Mansoor † Fadil Harun † Saleh Ali Nabhan † Abdulaziz bin Otash † Abdul Qadir Mumin (leader of ISS) Casualties: Mahad Maalin † Abdihakim Mohamed Ibrahim ("Dhoqob") †	Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (President of Somalia) Mohamed Hussein Roble Hassan Mohomed Amardanbe Odowaa Yusuf Rageh Said Abdullahi Dani Ahmed Abdi Karie Diomede Ndegeya[22] Ahmed Mohamed Islam Mohamed Ali Hassan Abdiaziz Laftagareen Barack Obama Donald Trump Joe Biden Robert Gates Leon Panetta Chuck Hagel Ash Carter Jim Mattis Mark Esper Lloyd Austin Casualties: Omar Hashi Aden † Abbas Abdullahi Sheikh Siraji † Ali Said † Juvenal Niyoyunguruza † Mohamed Jimale Goobale †[23]
Strength
7,000–12,000 (2022)[24] 1,200 foreign mujahideen (2011)[25] 200–300[26]	15,000 (2020)[27] 14,626 uniformed personnel, inclusive of 1,040 police personnel(2024)[28] 2,000 (2013)[29] 1,000 (2010)[30] ~600 (2019)[31]
Casualties and losses
29,219 killed[32]	26,411 killed[33] 3,500 killed[34] 6 killed 5 wounded[35][36][37]
4,365 killed (in 2015)[38] Jan 2009 – Oct 2012: 4,093[39][40]–6,310[41][42][43] killed 10,938 wounded[39][40] Total killed: 66,995+ (as of 19 April 2024, per ACLED)[44]

Close

During the insurgency that followed the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia, al-Shabaab rose to prominence and made significant territorial gains. Several weeks before the end of the military occupation, Islamist insurgents had seized most the south and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was on the verge of collapse.^[45][46] At the end of January 2009, Ethiopian troops withdrew from Somalia and former Islamic Courts Union leader Sharif Ahmed was elected president of the TFG, marking a new phase of the civil war. Al-Shabaab and allied Islamist groups continued fighting against the new TFG and the African Union mission (AMISOM) throughout 2009 and 2010, weakening the fraile TFG further. By 2010, al-Shabaab reached its peak operational capacity as it absorbed other Islamist factions. The group also began embracing drastic changes in the types of attacks they utilized and their frequency.^[47][48] That year they carried out the Kampala bombings in response to Ugandan support for AMISOM.^[48]

In August 2011, al-Shabaab withdrew from Mogadishu and lost the significant control it had established in the city since the insurgency began in 2007. While the group continues to carry out operations in the capital, the 2011 withdrawal marked the end of a strong insurgent presence.^[48][49] The Kenyan invasion of southern Somalia, Operation Linda Nchi, began in October 2011. The Kenyan government had become concerned by the growing refugee crisis and instability along its porous northern border, and intended to create a buffer-zone to prevent over-spill of the conflict into Kenyan territory. Al-Shabaab came under increasing pressure from the Kenyan intervention, which joined TFG and AMISOM troops in attacking the group. This combination challenged al-Shabaab's position in the south and drove the Islamists from the important port city of Kismayo. Somalia suffered a severe famine during 2011, further weakening al-Shabaab.^[47][50]

During 2012 al-Shabaab pledged alliegence to al-Qaeda.^[48] Despite the growing challenges, al-Shabaab still controls large swathes of territory in southern Somalia. It remains influential in many rural areas, and it now prioritizes guerrilla and terror attacks over territorial acquisitions. The Islamic State in Somalia (ISS) and Hizbul Islam have also carried out attacks against both factions. In 2013 Hizbul Islam renounced violence against the government, but as of 2023, ISS remains active in northern Somalia.^{[51][52][53][54]}