The International Crisis Group posted on 3 September 2026 a 32-minute podcast titled "Somalia's End-of-Year Cliffhanger" with Alan Boswell and Samira Gaid, analyst with a Mogadishu-based think tank.
As the United States steps up its air attacks on al-Shabaab in Somalia, it is opposing continued UN funding in support of the African Union mission there, apparently out of concern that the mission is not effective. Failure to fund the mission, however, could jeopardize efforts to defeat al-Shabaab. The situation is complicated by upcoming national elections, differences among Somali federal states, and numerous external actors.
