Somalia Country Report

Decades of violence and political instability have had a severe impact on Somalia and, despite improvements in recent years due to the presence of a multinational intervention force and the establishment of a nascent federal government in Mogadishu, there remain significant security challenges for those operating in the country. The federal government was established following the withdrawal of al-Shabaab from Mogadishu in 2011 but it has limited control over much of the rest of the country, with al-Shabaab continuing to dominate some central and southern areas. The de facto independent northern regions of Puntland and Somaliland have also established their own administrations over which Mogadishu has limited influence.

There is an extreme risk of terrorism in Somalia, with security forces, government officials and military installations often being targeted, including in the capital Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab has continued to carry out regular car bomb attacks and assassinations in the capital since being ousted from the city, some of which have resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties. Humanitarian and international workers are also specifically targeted by the group throughout the country.

Political and economic issues in Mogadishu and other urban centers continue to spur civil unrest. Demonstrations occasionally turn violent, with protesters attacking security forces and blocking roads with debris and burning tires. Clashes between rival clans also occur with some frequency in rural areas, often resulting in fatalities and injuries.

The threat from criminal activity, including armed robbery and carjacking, remains high in Somalia and there is a significant threat of kidnapping from both terrorist and criminal groups. The wide availability of firearms in the country has contributed to particularly high levels of violent crime and many criminals are armed. Carjacking and banditry also present risks to overland travel, particularly at night, and foreign nationals have previously been targeted.

Decades of conflict have left the country with limited infrastructural development and the road network is particularly poor. Electricity infrastructure is also limited and unreliable outside of a few major urban centers. Hospitals and emergency medical services are limited and generally of a low standard. There is also a severe shortage of medical supplies in the country and travelers may find pharmaceuticals difficult to acquire. Unexploded ordnance contamination is widespread in rural areas and harsh climatic conditions often exacerbate travel difficulties. Although piracy has significantly declined in recent years, maritime travel directly off Somalia's coast remains dangerous.

Somalia’s conflict risk profile is dominated by military operations against the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab, which remains a significant and destabilizing presence across central and southern areas of the country. The group has come under sustained pressure in recent years from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and US airstrikes but these operations have so far had limited success in reducing its capabilities. Disputes between the de facto independent administrations in the Somaliland and Puntland regions have also occasionally led to armed confrontations between their affiliated forces, particularly over the disputed Sool and Sanaag regions. Outbreaks of communal violence also occur sporadically throughout the country, often resulting in deaths and injuries.

Al-Shabaab has continued to carry out frequent mass-casualty terrorist attacks in the capital and other major urban centers despite being ousted from Mogadishu in 2011. The majority of these attacks have been vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) bombings targeting security forces and government interests in the capital but the group have also conducted frequent assassinations of government officials and occasional mortar attacks on the outskirts of Mogadishu, including on the city's airport. Although these attacks are generally targeted, the methods used are often indiscriminate and attacks have resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties.

It is difficult to accurately assess the level of criminal activity in Somalia due to a lack reliable statistics and reporting mechanisms. Nevertheless, there is a significant level of criminal activity throughout Somalia and many foreign nationals travel with personal security teams to mitigate the risk. Protests and violent unrest are common in Mogadishu and other parts of the country. Socio-economic and political developments have generated significant protests in recent years.

There are significant concerns over the safety of air travel in Somalia, with regulatory oversight lacking and local air travel providers not meeting International Civil Aviation Organization standards.

Decades of conflict have left Somalia with underdeveloped national infrastructure, with the country's road network being particularly poor. Many roads in the country are unpaved and poorly maintained making overland travel difficult and hazardous, particularly between urban centers.

The Port of Mogadishu is considered relatively efficient.

The country's electricity network is also limited and unreliable outside of a few major urban centers, with frequent power outages due to lagging maintenance and investment. Communications infrastructure is generally better but internet penetration rates remain low and mobile networks can be unavailable outside of urban centers.

Somalia is at risk of cyber attacks due to its weak cyber security.

Somalia has a hot arid climate with little seasonal variation, except at the higher elevations in the north, and air temperatures are generally high throughout the year. Droughts are a recurring problem for the country and often have a severe impact on food security. Conversely, heavy downpours can trigger flash flooding across low lying areas of the southern and central parts of the country, particularly following prolonged periods of drought. Northern and coastal areas may also be affected by severe weather during the Northern Indian Ocean cyclone season, but major storms rarely make landfall in the country.

Somalia's ongoing internal conflict and the legacy of conflict with Ethiopia have left widespread unexploded ordnance contamination throughout the country presenting a threat to travel in rural areas. However, due to the extent of security threats, there have been no comprehensive surveys of areas of contamination.

Somalia poses a number of significant medical challenges for foreign travelers and expatriates. Medical facilities in the country are extremely limited, particularly outside of Mogadishu, and many prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals are unavailable, with most pharmacies being unregulated. Foreign travelers are encouraged to carry their own medical supplies in case of need and should expect to pay in cash if medical services are available.

Malaria and cholera are relatively widespread in Somalia, with water-borne diseases often being contracted through contaminated water supplies, and the country experiences periodic outbreaks of other infectious diseases such as polio.

Somalia’s political turbulence due to long-delayed parliamentary and presidential elections ended May 15, 2022, after the Senate and Lower House of parliament, elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the country’s president for the second time. Mohamud served as president between 2012-2017. The repeated postponements have led to a significant deterioration of the security environment, notably in Mogadishu.

Somalia's election impasse followed a failure between the federal government and regional states to agree on the nature of the country's election. Although initially planned as the country's first direct elections, persistent insecurity linked to the continued Al-Shabaab insurgency prompted a reversal to the indirect system wherein local elders appoint representatives, who in turn elect the president. The impasse was also linked to political tension between supporters of former President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (Farmajo) and Prime Minister Hussein Roble.