Publication

This paper examines the situation in Somalia from 2011 to early 2012. During this time, al-Shabaab suffered a number of military setbacks. A number of factors made this possible: a substantial increase in the size of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which has been accompanied by an enhanced offensive capability; from October 2011, a Kenyan incursion across the country’s southern border, justified on security grounds; and divisions within al-Shabaab which affected its own military cohesion.