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  • The Somali Wire 294
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  • The Horn Edition 31
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  • Published November 4, 2022

    The recent Mogadishu bombings have intensified Somalia’s resolve to defeat Al‑Shabaab. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, for the first time in years, enjoys widespread political will and public support for the fight. His administration’s counter‑Al‑Shabaab strategy rests on four pillars: military operations, targeting the group’s finances, ideological warfare, and denying it territorial control. Community‑driven uprisings in Hiiraan by Ma’awiisley militias have made rapid gains, pushing militants from key areas. Supported by Somali National Army (SNA) troops and state forces, they have reclaimed more territory in months than in years past. Yet questions remain over sustainability, coordination, and capacity. Al‑Shabaab fighters often retreat to other strongholds, regroup, and launch counterattacks. Experts warn that Somalia needs a “whole‑of‑government” approach — integrating federal, state, clan, civil society, and business stakeholders rather than relying solely on military force. A unified plan for post‑liberation stabilisation, resource mobilisation, and messaging is critical. International partners, while supportive, must provide sustained funding to prevent liberated areas from falling back into militant hands. Al‑Shabaab operates as a network, not a rigid hierarchy. Defeating it will require Somalia to build an equally adaptive and coordinated coalition that can match the group’s efficiency, discipline, and resilience.

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