AMISOM was a child of necessity, birthed in the context of an exacerbated Somali conflict and the emergence of the ICU in 2006 as the dominant force in the fight for the control of Mogadishu.
Eastern Africa has two primary terrorism hotspots. The first is Somalia. It has experienced continuous instability since 1991, due to clan-based warlords and the lack of a functioning central government. Secondly, similar to Somalia, the eastern part of the DRC has been a hotspot since its own civil war from 1997 to 2003.
Since October 2017, an insurgency emerged in Mozambique’s northernmost province of Cabo Delgado, resulting in numerous terrorist attacks, claiming nearly 3,000 lives, and displacing some 800,000 people since 2020. In addition to the current military reprisals, a more comprehensive approach should recognise both the fact that the insurgents are the “sons of Mocímboa da Praia” and that at a certain point in time, they became radicalised and turned towards violent extremism.
Highlighting three common trends that make North African countries vulnerable to terrorism: poverty/unemployment, poor state governance, and civilian grievances.
Lessons learnt from the security challenges encountered by Somalia’s Defector Rehabilitation Programme for al-Shabaab members.
Outlining the definitions of “new wars” and “old wars”, and the numerous distinctions that exist between them.
Exploring alternate approaches to address the threat of terrorism that minimise human suffering.
Detailing the Danish Demining Group’s “people-centred” approach to border management in Africa.
A historical account of the disintegration of the Somalian state since the fall of Mohamed Siad Barre’s military regime.
ACCORD’s Knowledge Production Department continues to analyse the volatile situation in Somalia in order to contribute to AMISOM’s peacebuilding efforts.