Thursday, March 6, 2014

Somalia: The Search for Peace

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in South Africa published in March 2014 an analysis titled "Somalia: Fighting the Odds in the Search for Peace after the Transition" by Andrews Atta-Asamoah, senior researcher at ISS in South Africa, and Neus Ramis Segui, a security analyst studying for a PhD in Spain.

The report notes that progress towards peace in Somalia will be defined by the dynamics surrounding the strengths or weaknesses of the new Somali Federal Government, the rapidly adapting al-Qaeda-linked Islamist al-Shabaab, and the success or failure of international support.  The emerging perception among sections of the Somali population as well as the international community of a weak and weakening Somali central government constitutes one of the most challenging developments.