Somalia losing battle with al-Shabab?

These are the headlines we are tracking for you in this episode of Africa Today:

1) Is Somalia losing its battle with al-Shabab?

2) In a recent statement, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud said Somalia was close to ending the al-Shabab insurgency. He said al-Shabab was at its lowest capacity to date.

3) Are hopes of ending the prolonged conflict realistic? Somalia has been described as a failed state for over two decades. Attempts at establishing a working democracy have been met with challenges that involve strong outside interest in the region, due to the strategic importance of the Horn of Africa. Officially, the US interest in the region is a desire for stability and peace. This includes supporting the establishment of a new government under the Transitional Federal Government terms of engagement.

4) The UN Security Council has deployed peacekeeping forces over the years including AMISOM, which is made up of soldiers from Kenya, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Burundi, Djibouti and Uganda. After two decades of instability and disastrous attempts to influence Somalia’s democratic processes, the challenge of ending the al-Shabab militancy remains critical to the success of any democratic process in 2016. As Somalia faces more attacks and its president attempts to avoid impeachment, Africa Today discusses the price of peace in Somalia.

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