Strategic indifference, proxy politics in Somalia make Shabaab a continental crisis

Somali cadets take part in military training at the Anatolian Barracks in Mogadishu, Somalia, on May 25, 2022.

Photo credit: File | AFP

External engagement in Somalia, when misaligned with the country’s sovereignty and constitutional order, has often done more harm than good.

Support for armed nonstate actors and secessionist agendas, however calculated, has not advanced stability. Instead, it has deepened insecurity, fuelled radicalisation, and prolonged violent conflict.