Civil war · Horn of Africa
Somalia's war with al-Shabaab
Fighting since about 2006Updated November 1, 2026
Somalia's federal government has fought al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda's branch in East Africa, since about 2006. Al-Shabaab controls much of the countryside in the south and center. The government holds the cities with Turkish drones and F-16 jets, US airstrikes and an African Union force of up to 11,826 troops and police. In 2025 al-Shabaab retook most of the towns the army had won in 2022. In 2026 the army is also fighting a former regional leader's forces around Baidoa.
- Fighting since
- About 2006
- al-Shabaab grew out of the Islamic Courts
- Al-Shabaab
- 7,000-12,000
- estimated fighters (US government)
- Displaced
- 3.3 million
- inside Somalia (UNHCR, June 2026)
- AU troops
- Up to 11,826
- AUSSOM mandate, runs to Dec 31, 2026
- US strikes in 2025
- About 125
- the most in any year (AFRICOM)
Who backs whom in Somalia?
The Somali government and its foreign backers against al-Shabaab.
TurkeyF-16 jets since January 2026, armed drones, a military base, and a pact to build Somalia's navy
United StatesAbout 125 airstrikes in 2025, about 90 more by late October 2026, and trains the Danab commandos- AUSSOM (African Union)Up to 11,826 troops and police from Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Burundi and Djibouti; Egypt's are still arriving
EgyptDefense pact in 2024; about 1,100 troops pledged for the AU mission, delayed by funding
QatarDefense cooperation deal signed in January 2026
Government
Federal Government of Somalia
Led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The Somali National Army holds the cities. Clan militias, called Ma'awisley, fight alongside the army in the countryside.
Insurgency
Al-Shabaab
Al-Qaeda's branch in East Africa. Holds much of the countryside in the south and center. Its income was more than $150 million in 2023, mostly from taxes and extortion (UN experts). Based around Jilib in the Juba valley.
- Houthis (Yemen)UN experts reported in 2025 that al-Shabaab fighters trained in Houthi-held Yemen and that the Houthis sent trainers to Somalia. Neither group has confirmed it.
ConfirmedReported, denied
Where is the fighting in Somalia?
Al-Shabaab holds most of the countryside in the south and center. The government holds the cities.
- MogadishuGovernmentThe capital. Turkish companies run the airport and port, and Turkey has its largest overseas military base here. Turkish F-16s arrived in January 2026.
- Middle Shabelle frontContestedAl-Shabaab retook towns here in 2025, including El Baraf in February and Adan Yabaal in April. It also reached the outskirts of Balcad, about 35 km from Mogadishu.
- Hiiraan (Beledweyne)ContestedAl-Shabaab retook Moqokori in July 2025, after the army had won it in 2022. In October 2026 local reports said it entered the town of Hees after federal troops withdrew.
- JilibAl-ShabaabAl-Shabaab's de facto capital in the Juba valley (UN). The group collects taxes and runs courts from here.
- BaidoaGovernmentCapital of South West State. Federal troops took the city in March 2026, and the state's leader, Abdiaziz Laftagareen, resigned. More than 50,000 people fled (UNHCR). His forces have attacked the city since August.
- KismayoGovernmentThe main city of Jubaland. Its president, Ahmed Madobe, cut ties with Mogadishu in November 2024 after a dispute over his re-election. He also rejects the president's term extension.
- Cal MiskaadContestedMountains in Puntland that were the base of Islamic State Somalia. Puntland forces, helped by US airstrikes, attacked from late 2024. Puntland declared the group defeated in October 2025; UN experts say a small force may remain.
Why has Somalia been at war for so long?
Somalia's last stable government fell in 1991 when the dictator Siad Barre was overthrown. Warlords and clan militias split the country. The Islamic Courts Union took Mogadishu in June 2006 and brought a rough order. Ethiopia invaded in December 2006 with American backing and drove the Courts out.
Al-Shabaab was the Courts' armed wing. It fought on after the invasion and pledged loyalty to al-Qaeda in 2012. African Union peacekeepers pushed al-Shabaab out of Mogadishu in August 2011. The group still holds most of the countryside in the south and center.
The federal government in Mogadishu has limited reach. Its army is divided along clan lines. Puntland withdrew its recognition of the federal government in March 2024 over changes to the constitution. Jubaland cut ties in November 2024 after a dispute over its own election. In March 2026 federal troops took Baidoa, and the leader of South West State resigned. His forces have fought the army around the city since August.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's four-year term ended on May 15, 2026. In March 2026 parliament had voted to lengthen terms to five years, and the president says his mandate runs to May 2027. The opposition, Puntland and Jubaland say his term has expired. Somalia has not held a competitive national election since 1969. Direct elections for parliament are set for April 15, 2027. The president has invited opposition groups to election talks in Mogadishu on November 14 to 18, 2026.
How the war unfolded
- 1991Siad Barre falls. Clan militias fight for power.
- 2006The Islamic Courts Union takes Mogadishu. Ethiopia invades in December.
- 2007The African Union sends its first peacekeepers (AMISOM).
- 2011Al-Shabaab is pushed out of Mogadishu.
- 2012Al-Shabaab pledges loyalty to al-Qaeda.
- 2017A truck bomb in Mogadishu kills more than 500 people.
- 2022The army and clan militias retake towns in Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle.
- 2025Al-Shabaab wins most of those towns back. AUSSOM replaces AMISOM in January.
- 2026Turkish F-16s arrive. Federal troops take Baidoa. The president's term ends in May, and he stays on.
Who is al-Shabaab?
Al-Shabaab, which means "the youth" in Arabic, grew out of the Islamic Courts Union. It is al-Qaeda's branch in East Africa. The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and many other governments designate it a terrorist organization.
The group has between 7,000 and 12,000 fighters, according to the US government. It runs a parallel administration in the areas it holds: courts, tax collection, and schools. UN experts estimated its income in 2023 at more than $150 million, mostly from taxes and extortion. Its checkpoints on the roads are a main source. In 2025 the experts reported that the group still extorts businesses in Mogadishu's markets, outside the areas it holds.
Its leader since 2014 is Ahmed Diriye, also known as Abu Ubaidah. The group has carried out attacks across East Africa, including the Westgate mall attack in Nairobi in 2013 (67 dead) and the Garissa University attack in Kenya in 2015 (148 dead). Its deadliest attack was a truck bomb at a junction in Mogadishu on October 14, 2017, which killed more than 500 people.
Al-Shabaab income
$150M+
Estimated income in 2023
From taxes, extortion and road checkpoints. Businesses in Mogadishu's markets are a key source.
Who is helping Somalia fight al-Shabaab?
Turkey is Somalia's closest military partner. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then Turkey's prime minister, visited Mogadishu during the 2011 famine. Turkish companies have run the city's airport since 2013 and its port since 2014. Turkey's largest overseas military base opened in Mogadishu in 2017. A 10-year defense pact signed in February 2024 commits Turkey to build and train a Somali navy. Three Turkish F-16 fighter jets landed at Mogadishu's airport on January 28, 2026. In late June 2026 Somalia's defense ministry said Turkish F-16s had struck al-Shabaab in Lower Shabelle and killed about 35 militants. A later version of the statement named only "international partners."
The United States carried out about 125 airstrikes on militants in Somalia in 2025, the most in any year (AFRICOM). AFRICOM had announced about 90 more in 2026 by late October. The United States also trains the Danab commandos, Somalia's most effective unit. Qatar signed a defense cooperation deal with Somalia in January 2026, a week after Somalia cancelled all its agreements with the United Arab Emirates.
The African Union mission AUSSOM replaced the earlier AU mission in January 2025. The Security Council allows up to 11,826 troops and police until December 31, 2026. They come from Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Burundi and Djibouti, and Egypt's pledged troops are delayed by funding. In July 2026 the United States said it would stop funding the UN office that supplies AUSSOM after December 2026. In September it agreed to give the office 12 more months to wind down, Reuters reported. In April 2026 the EU approved 75 million euros for troop allowances. At a summit in Kampala on July 31, 2026, the troop contributors endorsed an 18-to-24-month plan to hand security to Somali forces.
Deaths in conflict in Africa, 2025 (UCDP)
Sudan75,174
DR Congo9,172
Ethiopia5,458
Burkina Faso4,441
Nigeria4,158- Somalia3,872
Mali2,157
How could the war in Somalia end?
No one has defeated al-Shabaab in 20 years. It lost Mogadishu in 2011 and most major towns by 2014, but it still holds much of the countryside. In late October 2026 soldiers told Reuters that dozens of troops died in a battle with al-Shabaab in Buurhakaba district, near Baidoa. Somalia's defense ministry said about 75 militants were killed.
The biggest near-term risk is the African Union drawdown. The Security Council decides in December 2026 whether to renew AUSSOM and how to pay for it. The Kampala plan foresees a handover to Somali forces within 18 to 24 months. Ethiopia handed its base in Buurhakaba to Somali forces in August 2026. The Somali army is underpaid, divided by clan, and short of heavy weapons.
Turkey's growing role offsets some of the risk. Turkish drones and jets give the army an air force it never had.
The political crisis makes the campaign harder. Puntland and Jubaland do not work with Mogadishu, and the army is also fighting forces loyal to South West State's former leader. Direct elections are set for April 2027. Somalia's last two indirect elections, due in 2016 and 2021, both came months late.
Questions about Somalia's war
Who is winning the war in Somalia?
Neither side. The government holds the cities with foreign help. Al-Shabaab holds much of the countryside in the south and center. In 2025 al-Shabaab retook most of the towns the army had won in 2022, and heavy fighting continued in 2026.
Is al-Shabaab part of al-Qaeda?
Yes. Al-Shabaab pledged loyalty to al-Qaeda in 2012. The United States, the EU, the UK and many other governments designate it a terrorist organization.
How many people have died in Somalia's war?
There is no reliable total for the full war. The Uppsala Conflict Data Program counted 3,872 deaths from organized violence in Somalia in 2025. ACLED says deaths in Somalia reached a record high in 2025. Using ACLED data, the EU asylum agency counted 4,676 security incidents from April 2025 to March 2026.
Why is Turkey involved in Somalia?
Turkey has been Somalia's closest partner since Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then prime minister, visited during the 2011 famine. Turkish companies run Mogadishu's airport and port. A 2024 defense pact commits Turkey to build a Somali navy, and Turkish F-16s arrived in January 2026.
What happens when AUSSOM leaves?
AUSSOM's mandate runs to December 31, 2026, and the Security Council decides in December whether to renew it. The United States has agreed to fund the UN office that supplies the mission for one more year of wind-down. Troop contributors want to hand security to Somali forces within 18 to 24 months.
