War-torn Somalia struggles for survival

Al Shabaab remains the most active group in Africa and is on pace for over 2,000 violent events in 2021. This violent activity has picked up around the Somali parliamentary and presidential elections, which al Shabaab has vowed to disrupt.

The increase in al Shabaab violence is also associated with a rise in battles with security forces, which is currently on pace to increase. The spy agency; National Intelligence Security Agency has also been struggling to stamp his authority due to the Al-Shabaab menace.

In the past period, al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab has intensified its operations in Somalia, taking advantage of a voluntary US withdrawal from the scene. Observers considered the airstrikes an attempt by Washington to correct the mistakes of a hasty withdrawal.

According to observers, the launching of airstrikes by the US forces in Somalia aims to put an end to the growing activity of al-Shabaab in the African country, and to inflict a lot of damage on the movement to restrain its movements in the coming period.

The group's campaign of bombings and gun attacks has targeted Somali military bases and civilian infrastructure including hotels, bars and schools in both Somalia and other regional countries.

Disagreement over a proposed two-year term extension for Somalia's outgoing President Farmajo triggered violent clashes between government forces and armed factions in and around Somalia’s capital city of Mogadishu, generating significant population displacement.

On April 25, armed factions clashed with security forces in northern Mogadishu, leading to civilian injuries, displacement, and damage to property. 

Insecurity resulting from heightened tensions in Mogadishu had temporarily displaced approximately 200,000 people by late May, including more than 7,300 people experiencing secondary displacement, according to the UN. Relief actors report that many displaced people returned to their homes following a de-escalation of hostilities in early May.

Persistent food insecurity, widespread violence, and protracted population displacement, as well as recurrent droughts and floods, have characterized the complex emergency in Somalia since 1991.

The current conflict, primarily related to al-Shabaab attacks and resultant military operations, as well as intercommunal violence, continues to restrict trade and market activities while contributing to population displacement and food insecurity.

Attacks against civilians and aid workers also disrupt livelihoods and hinder humanitarian response activities, particularly in areas that lack established local authorities and where al-Shabaab is present.