Seeking Peace in Somalia

The document details a seminar presentation by Chief Superintendent Vance B Gariba and a response by Dr Emmanuel Kisiangani regarding the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). It examines the historical context of Somalia's instability, the mandate and achievements of AMISOM—including the training of over 2,000 Somali police—and the systemic failures of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). The discussion highlights critical gaps in AMISOM's mandate, such as the lack of civilian protection, and suggests that long-term stability requires transformative institutional building and potential political engagement with Al Shabaab leaders.

• AMISOM has focused significantly on police capacity building, providing refresher courses to over 2,000 Somali police, training 500 new recruits in Djibouti, and training 200 junior and middle-level managers in Kenya.
• The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) suffers from a lack of legitimacy, internal rivalry, and accusations of corruption, which has hindered its ability to consolidate peace.
• AMISOM's current mandate is criticized for being too narrow, as it focuses on protecting the TFG and its institutions rather than the general civilian population, leading to perceptions that the mission is not neutral.
• The security situation in south and central Somalia remains volatile, with Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam continuing attacks against AMISOM, the TFG, and the population, while AMISOM controls approximately 60 per cent of Mogadishu.
• External factors, including proxy wars fought by neighbouring countries and the global 'war against terror', complicate peacemaking efforts in Somalia.
• There is a suggestion that the international community should consider engaging with Al Shabaab leaders, similar to the approach taken with the Taliban in Afghanistan, to stabilize the country.

APA

Walker, T., & Lisa, P. (2011). Seeking Peace in Somalia. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/15April11SeekPeaceSomaliaVer2.pdf

Chicago

Walker, Timothy, and Phakamani Lisa. Seeking Peace in Somalia. Institute for Security Studies, 2011. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/15April11SeekPeaceSomaliaVer2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Walker |first1=Timothy |last2=Lisa |first2=Phakamani |title=Seeking Peace in Somalia |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=2011 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/15April11SeekPeaceSomaliaVer2.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{walker2011seeking, author = {Walker, Timothy and Lisa, Phakamani}, title = {{Seeking Peace in Somalia}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2011}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/15April11SeekPeaceSomaliaVer2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }