The Somali Civil War
By Noah Brummer In 2009, the Somali Civil War was launched after violent conflicts occurred between the Somali Army and multiple Islamist militant forces. The Islamist groups Hisbi Islam and Al-Shabaab declared war on all Federal Government forces in the south of Somalia, including African Union Peacekeepers. The Somali Civil War is a devastating war that has torn apart Somalia and surrounding countries for years, and still is happening to this day. The Civil War began with fighting and truce talks between the sides and the demands were firmly put forth by the leader of Al-Shabaab, Sheikh Mukhtar Robow, who demanded that Sharif Ahmed put into place Sharia Law in Somalia. At first it appeared as if the President had taken the deal with the militant groups and would put an end to the war with only a small body count, but the militant groups went against the agreement and both sides left with no diplomatic progress. For the next few months the militant groups continued their assaults on Government strongholds and would take land in the south of Somalia. Suicide bombers became a large issue for the military, with each bomber taking lives and injuring countless more. By June of 2009, the Somali Government had declared a state of emergency and had asked for foreign aid. Thousands of people were fleeing the capitol city of Mogadishu as fighting escalated within the city limits. For the next two years, militant forces continued to make ground in Mogadishu, forcing more and more civilians to flee for fear of their lives. In 2011, Government forces and foreign military took back Mogadishu from Al-Shabaab. Move forward another 5 years to the involvement of the United States. Under the presidency of Donald J. Drumpf the US raised its level of involvement in the Somali Civil War. More US airstrikes and drone strikes targeting the Islamist State and Al-Shabaab were carried out. Most recently the US conducted a series of drone strikes North of Mogadishu killed more than 100 militants. Estimates say that there are only 3,000-6,000 Al-Shabaab and only a couple hundred Islamic State fighters remaining in Somalia. |
Mazzetti, Mark, et al. “In Somalia, U.S. Escalates a Shadow War.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Oct. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/10/16/world/africa/obama-somalia-secret-war.html?_r=1.
“The Resurgence of Al-Shabaab in Somalia and Implications for the Humanitarian Sector.” ReliefWeb, reliefweb.int/report/somalia/resurgence-al-shabaab-somalia-and-implications-humanitarian-sector.
“The Resurgence of Al-Shabaab in Somalia and Implications for the Humanitarian Sector.” ReliefWeb, reliefweb.int/report/somalia/resurgence-al-shabaab-somalia-and-implications-humanitarian-sector.