Somalia crisis (2024)

FAQs

What is the root cause of the crisis in Somalia? ›

Severe drought pushes Somalis to the brink of starvation

Somalia faced its worst drought in four decades spanning from 2021 to 2023, resulting in a critical food crisis for 7.9 million people—about half of Somalia's population.

Famine in Somalia has put millions of people at risk of severe malnutrition and outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and measles. The geography and topography of Somalia makes it vulnerable to natural disasters, including droughts, famine, floods, and cyclones.

Somalia 2023. The conflict between the government and Al-Shabaab continued, and all parties committed serious abuses of international humanitarian and human rights law with impunity. Insecurity, drought, floods and food insecurity caused the displacement of over 2.9 million people and a dire humanitarian crisis.

The Somali civil war (2009–present) is the ongoing phase of the Somali civil war which is concentrated in southern and central Somalia.

Decades of civil war and political fragmentation have made Somalia one of the poorest countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nearly seven of 10 Somalis live in poverty, the sixth-highest rate in the region.

Its socioeconomic statistics are among the worst in the world. Water supply coverage is low for both drinking and domestic use, particularly in rural areas. Somalia is experiencing a serious hunger crisis, just five years after drought and conflict killed an estimated 260,000 people, half of them children under age 5.

SOMALIA - AVOID ALL TRAVEL

Avoid all travel to Somalia. If you are currently in Somalia despite this advisory, you should leave immediately. The security situation in Somalia is extremely volatile and the threat of domestic terrorism is high, particularly in south-central Somalia and in the capital, Mogadishu.

Same-sex relations are illegal in Somalia. Punishments under strict Sharia law include flogging or death. It's also illegal to preach a religion other than Islam in Puntland or Somaliland.

The Department of State has issued a Level 4 Travel Advisory for Somalia and advises U.S. citizens not to travel to Somalia due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health issues, kidnapping, and piracy.

Natural Resources. Somalia has untapped reserves of numerous natural resources, including uranium, iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt and natural gas. Australian and Chinese oil companies have been granted licenses for finding petroleum and other natural resources in the country.

Who controls Somalia? ›

According to Article 97 of the constitution, most executive powers of the Somali government are vested in the Council of Ministers. The incumbent President of Somalia is Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Hamza Abdi Barre is the national Prime Minister.

Islam is the dominant religion of Somalia, practiced by over 99% of the population. The vast majority of Somalis are Sunni and of the Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence.

In late 2020, President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of most US troops from Somalia by 15 January 2021. The Department of Defense confirmed the completion of troop withdrawal on 17 January 2021. Despite this, the US has continued training allied forces, conducting limited airstrikes, and special operations.

US forces withdrew from Somalia soon after the incident at Mogadishu, following the failed operation on October 3–4, 1993. The battle resulted in the deaths of 18 U.S. soldiers and numerous Somali fighters and civilians.

The U.S. government and the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) argue that these strikes are necessary to erode al-Shabaab's capability to conduct operations in Mogadishu, as well as to create space for the FGS and partner forces to access parts of the country at risk of severe famine.

Overall, the conflict in Somalia resulted from the proliferation of weapons during the Cold War and the continued supply of weapons after 1991, which ignited and continues to ignite the war efforts among the grieving Somali clans.

The Horn of Africa has become hotter and drier due to climate change, resulting in an increasing number of people having to flee their homes. Somalia is also grappling with insecurity and violence due to inter-clan fighting and the long-standing insurgency by the Islamist group al-Shabab.

Various armed factions began competing for influence in the power vacuum and turmoil that followed, particularly in the south. In 1990–92, customary law temporarily collapsed, and factional fighting proliferated. In the absence of a central government, Somalia became a "failed state".

The start of a civil war in the 1980s led to the collapse of Somalia's central government in 1991. Following this, various groupings of Somali factions, sometimes supported by outside forces, sought to control the national territory (or portions thereof) and fought one another.