Somalia (Vol 11, 2014)
in Africa Yearbook OnlineSearch for other papers by Stig Jarle Hansen in
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(4,267 words)
The general situation in Somalia continued to improve somewhat. The forces of the au, and their fledgling Somali allies, advanced throughout 2014, and the Islamist al-Shabaab were forced to abandon several cities. Conditions in the capital, Mogadishu, were improving and construction activities were rampant, although some districts remained dangerous. In the north of the country, conditions were stable, although serious challenges continued to be evident. Somalia was, however, still struggling with several long-term problems. First, al-Shabaab still controlled the middle Juba territory and large parts of Mudug, in addition to several smaller cities. Although not able to defeat the forces of the au in open combat, al-Shabaab showed itself able to survive all over southern Somalia, and implemented large-scale terror attacks throughout 2014 in both Somalia and Kenya, with several indications of increasingly significant sympathetic support in Tanzania and Burundi. Second, several other conflicts that did not involve al-Shabaab grew in importance throughout the year. Tensions emerged between clan-based government forces and the Benadiri in lower Shabelle region, between government forces and local groups in Duhsamareb and Jowhar, and in the north between local militias, mostly hailing from the Sool and Sanaag provinces and Puntland/Somaliland. Significant and often clan-based tensions also emerged between various regional entities and between several of these and the central government. Underlying were serious disagreements over the degree of centralisation of powers in the central government. Third, state-building processes were lacking, and important governmental services, such as the police, received infrequent pay, and rampant corruption and ill-discipline plagued the whole government sector, including the Somali armed forces.
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Somalia (Vol 11, 2014)
in Africa Yearbook OnlineSearch for other papers by Stig Jarle Hansen in
Current site
Google Scholar
(4,267 words)