The relentless Al-Shabaab aggression has continued despite being forced out of the capital city in 2011, among other cities. The fear of militant bombing is imminent and the residents of Mogadishu experience frequent suicide attacks. According to Yahoo News, Al-Shabaab “continues to launch lethal attacks in the capital and elsewhere” and is fighting to oust the current regime and to “install a strict version of Sharia Law.” As Somalia news reported, in June 2015 Al-Shabaab fighters killed dozens of Burundi soldiers when they attacked an AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) outpost northwest of Mogadishu. In the following month, unknown numbers of people were killed in a battle between Al-Shabaab and the government’s military along with African Union forces in the Gedo region. The group also launched an attack on an African Union convoy outside Marka, and the African Union’s base south of Mogadishu– killing twelve peace keepers in September 2015. In the same month, Reuters reported that Al-Shabaab had taken control of El Saliindi and Kuntuwarey, two small towns in south-western Somalia. 

In a recent attack on a hotel in central Mogadishu, Al-Shabaab killed 15 people and wounded dozens. According to Al Jazeera, a car bomb exploded at the scene and was followed by gunfire exchanged with security guards, and then with a second set of explosives being detonated in the hotel by a suicide bomber.  As Lieutenant Colonel Paul Nikegume, the spokesperson for the African Union mission in Somalia, told Al Jazeera the “Somali troops and African Union forces took control of the situation.” The Sahafi Hotel is renowned for being frequented by government leaders and parliamentarians. Many prominent people including Abdisallam Haji–Somali’s Ambassador to Ethiopia– and General Gacma Duule, Somali military commander– were injured, while  Parliamentarian Mohamed Abdi Abtidoon and freelance photographer Mustaf Abdi were killed. 

The latest attack has called into question the capacity of the government and its troops to secure stability in Somalia. Somalia’s former director of national intelligence, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, said of Somalia’s troops:  “[although] they are working hard… they are losing focus”, since their priority has been protecting those in power. Hudde Ibrahim, writer at Somali Current, argues that the Somali government lacks committed troops that are fundamental to maintaining peace in the country. He writes that Somali troops “lack combat capability…because they lack funding and military logistic”. Meanwhile “African Union peace keeping troops are deficient in their motivation to fight.” 

Somalia’s Security Minister, Abdirizak Omar Mohamed echoed this sentiment, stating that in order to prevent such events from happening in the future, “there is a need to enhance the government intelligence capability.” The reality that this suggests is that the international community should help provide military logistics to Somalian troops in a manner that strengthens their capacity to protect their country. It is widely known that millions of dollars have been given to the African Union peacekeeping forces for this purpose. However, primacy should be given to Somali troops directly in order to stop Al-Shabaab and to bring peace in Somalia.