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Conflict With Al-Shabaab in Somalia

Al-Shabaab Activity Increasingly Spills Over into Kenya

  • As the government campaign against al-Shabaab in central Somalia pushes militants south, attacks against civilians and security forces in Kenya have risen (ACLED)

Somali State Media: Six Killed, Twelve Wounded in Bus Explosion

  • A governor blamed a terrorist attack for the explosion in Lower Shabelle (Reuters)

African Union Force Continues Drawdown in Somalia

  • As Somali forces gear up for the second phase of their offensive against al-Shabaab, this time in Jubaland and Southwest states, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) plans to withdraw an additional three thousand troops in September (East African; Garowe)

State Media: Somali Forces Make Gains Against Al-Shabaab in Southwest

  • Days after a deadly Al-Shabaab attack on an army base in Mogadishu, state media claimed the military killed more than sixty militants in a series of operations in Southwest state (Garowe)
  • Meanwhile, Russia wrote off $687 million of Somalia’s debt, aiding Somalia’s effort to stabilize its economy (Garowe)

U.S. Official to Discuss Russia Grain Deal in Visit to Somalia

  • The Treasury official will address steps the United States has taken to facilitate grain exports as Russia promises free grain to African leaders to replace lost imports of Ukrainian grain (Reuters)
  • Meanwhile, al-Shabaab militants captured a strategic village in the country’s Southwest state (Garowe)

Suicide Bomber Kills At Least Twenty Soldiers, Wounds Dozens in Somalia

  • The bomber detonated a vest after entering a secure military base in the capital, Mogadishu; al-Shabaab claimed responsibility and said the number of casualties was much higher than the military source reported (VOA)

U.S. Airstrike Kills Five Al-Shabaab Militants in Somalia

  • The strike came at the Somali government’s request, and U.S. Africa Command reported no civilian casualties (CNN)

Somalia Sends Reinforcements to Central Region

  • Despite having made significant progress in phase one of an offensive against al-Shabaab, more Somali forces have been sent to Hirshabelle and Galmadug states to clear out remaining militants as al-Shabaab ramps up attacks (Garowe)

Al-Shabaab Blockades Town in Somalia

  • Somalia’s president denounced the weeklong blockade, which has worsened a hunger crisis in the southwest town of Baidoa, where drought and violence had already made food scarce (VOA)

AU Mission to Start Phase Two of Somalia Withdrawal

  • Nearly two thousand more African Union (AU) troops will depart the country despite worrying signs that Al-Shabaab could launch a comeback in their absence; the group retook a military base shortly after the AU handed it over to Somali forces in phase one of the withdrawal (Garowe)
  • Meanwhile, a Somali army operation in Galmudug state killed at least eighteen militants (Garowe)

Al-Shabaab Claims to Seize Key Somali Base Near Kenya Border

  • Kenyan troops operating under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia had recently handed over the base to Somali forces as part of an ongoing withdrawal; if confirmed, the loss of this base could complicate the African Union’s departure (Garowe)
  • Meanwhile, regional forces backed by U.S.-trained special forces reportedly killed seventeen Al-Shabaab militants in ongoing operations in Jubaland (Garowe)

Al-Shabaab Bomb Kills Eight in Central Somalia

  • The group planted the roadside bomb after being defeated in Buloburde, north of Mogadishu, demonstrating the risk to civilians as a retreating Al-Shabaab carries out indiscriminate attacks (Arab News)
  • Meanwhile, Somali forces killed over forty al-Shabaab militants in a Lower Juba region operation (Garowe)

U.S. Airstrikes Kill Ten Al-Shabaab Militants in Somalia

  • The three strikes in a remote region of southern Somalia came at the request of the Somali government and no civilian casualties were reported (CNN)
  • Meanwhile, militia forces in the Sool region seeking closer ties with Mogadishu accused the Somaliland military of indiscriminately shelling the city of Las Anod (Garowe)

Army Clashes with Al-Shabaab in Central Somalia

  • Regional clans, who initiated the crackdown on al-Shabaab in the area, and whose leaders hope to establish an independent state, joined in heavy fighting as al-Shabaab continues to lose territory in the second phase of the government’s offensive (Garowe)

Kenya Extends Somali Border Closure Over Al-Shabaab Attacks

  • Kenya’s interior minister said the decision was taken due to an uptick in cross-border attacks by al-Shabaab, including fifteen in the month of June alone (East African)

Somali Official Calls for Pause of UN Withdrawal

  • The deputy president of Jubaland expressed doubt that Somali forces were prepared to fill the security void that ATMIS’s departure would create, calling the decision “ill-conceived” and saying civilians will be subject to revenge attacks (VOA)

AU Transfers Seven Bases to Somali Army

  • ATMIS, the AU force in Somalia, has completed the first stage of its handover, relinquishing control of seven forward operating bases to Somalia (Garowe)

Al-Shabaab Destroys Mosque in Somalia

  • The attack in Middle Shabelle did not injure anyone but raised questions about Somali forces’ ability to protect civilians once AU troops depart (Garowe)

UNSC Extends Authorization for AU Mission in Somalia

  • The Security Council approved a six-month extension, through the end of 2023, for the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), with a provision requiring the departure of three thousand more troops by September amid a withdrawal set to be complete by December 2024 (Africa News)

Al-Shabaab Kills Five in Kenya Incursion

  • The group raided a village near the Somali border, burning houses and stealing supplies while terrorizing residents, even reportedly beheading some (Al Jazeera)

Somali President Urges End to Arms Embargo

  • While some worry that new weapons could end up in the hands of terrorists, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says his government has established the proper safeguards and that the weapons are necessary to boost the military’s capabilities and restore peace (VOA)

UN: Somalia Faces “Dire Hunger Emergency”

  • UN representatives said that funding cuts and a drawdown of the UN presence in Somalia threaten to reverse gains made on the security and humanitarian fronts; currently, 6.6 million Somalis need aid, four hundred thousand of whom face famine-like conditions (AP; UN)

Heavy Fighting Erupts in Puntland, Somaliland

  • During a contentious parliament vote on electoral laws in the breakaway region, security forces exchanged gunfire with the opposition, leaving thirty-six dead and thirty injured (Reuters)
  • Separately, a government offensive against Al-Shabaab in southern Somalia has reportedly pushed some of the militants to move north into Puntland (Al Jazeera)

Explosion Kills Seven in Southern Somalia

  • Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack on the military training camp, where it claims Ethiopian and Somalian officials were meeting (VOA)
  • Meanwhile, armed factions in semiautonomous Puntland signed a cease-fire after fighting broke out over a perceived effort by the region’s leader to change the law to stay in power (Al Jazeera)

Somalian President Sacks Army Chief

  • The leadership change comes amid a slowing offensive against Al-Shabaab and the delaying of the second phase of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s “total war” on the terrorist group (Garowe)
  • There are also reports that Al-Shabaab has kidnapped thirty people in a recently liberated area (Garowe)
  • Separately, the usually peaceful breakaway region of Puntland has experienced a rise in tensions around elections and territorial disputes (Garowe)