Somalia: the intervention dilemma

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies examines the African Union's (AU) strategy to increase troop levels for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) following suicide bombings in Uganda in July 2010.

• Following suicide bombings on 11 July 2010 that killed 79 people in Uganda, AU Commission chairperson Jean Ping requested troops from South Africa, Angola, Nigeria, Ghana, and Guinea to reinforce AMISOM, which at the time consisted of Ugandan and Burundian forces.
• AMISOM was deployed in 2007 to protect the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and strategic infrastructure in Mogadishu, such as the airport and port, and to support humanitarian aid for the population.
• The AU intended to increase AMISOM's force size from approximately 6,300 troops (comprising 4 Ugandan and 3 Burundian battalions) to the 8,000 mandated in 2007, though some member states suggested an increase to between 14,000 and 20,000 troops.

APA

Cilliers, J., Boshoff, H., & Aboagye, F. B. (n.d.). Somalia: the intervention dilemma. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/policy-brief/somalia-the-intervention-dilemma

Chicago

Cilliers, Jakkie, Henri Boshoff, and Festus B. Aboagye. Somalia: the intervention dilemma. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/policy-brief/somalia-the-intervention-dilemma.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cilliers |first1=Jakkie |last2=Boshoff |first2=Henri |last3=Aboagye |first3=Festus B. |title=Somalia: the intervention dilemma |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/policy-brief/somalia-the-intervention-dilemma |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cilliersndsomalia, author = {Cilliers, Jakkie and Boshoff, Henri and Aboagye, Festus B.}, title = {{Somalia: the intervention dilemma}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/policy-brief/somalia-the-intervention-dilemma}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }