Book
The World's Most Dangerous Place (2013) by James Fergusson: reporting from Somalia and its diaspora
The World's Most Dangerous Place: Inside the Outlaw State of Somalia is a 2013 book by the British journalist James Fergusson, published in London and, by Da Capo, in the United States. Based on his reporting in Mogadishu, Puntland and the Somali communities of Minneapolis and London, it covers the war between the African Union force and al-Shabaab, the 2011 famine, piracy and the diaspora. It was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize in 2014.
The World's Most Dangerous Place
- Author
- James Fergusson
- Year
- 2013
- Publisher
- Da Capo (US); Transworld (UK)
- Language
- English
- ISBN
- 9780306821172
- Sources
- 7 sources
The book
The World's Most Dangerous Place: Inside the Outlaw State of Somalia is by James Fergusson, a British journalist. It was published in Britain in 2013, and in the United States by Da Capo on 28 May 2013, with 432 pages (Publishers Weekly; Hachette Book Group).
Where he reported
Fergusson reported from Mogadishu, from Puntland, where he spent an extended period with its government, and from the Somali communities of Minneapolis in the United States and London in Britain. He was unable to reach Kismayo because of insecurity (African Arguments).
What it covers
- Mogadishu. The fight between the African Union mission (AMISOM) and al-Shabaab for the capital, which Fergusson compares to Stalingrad, and the foreign security contractors drawn to the conflict (African Arguments). See Al-Shabaab.
- Al-Shabaab. Young recruits and deserters, and the group's response to the 2011 famine, when it denied the scale of the crisis (African Arguments).
- Puntland and piracy. Piracy off the coast, the release of hostages, ransoms and insurance payments (African Arguments). See The Pirates of Somalia.
- The diaspora. Recruitment of young Somali Americans in Minneapolis, which he describes as passing from peer to peer, and questions of integration and youth violence among Somalis in London (African Arguments). See Minneapolis and St Paul and Somalis in London.
- Women. Fergusson criticises the treatment of women and the practice of female genital cutting (African Arguments).
How it was received
- The British edition was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize in 2014, and Publishers Weekly gave the American edition a starred review (Publishers Weekly).
- Magnus Taylor, in African Arguments, called it "a good book with a bad title": he found it the most enjoyable non-fiction about Somalia he knew, but argued that how dangerous Somalia is "really depends in which part of it you are standing" (African Arguments).
- Michael Maren, in Reason, described it as an exhaustively reported chronicle (Reason).
- A review in American Diplomacy recommended it for readers who want to understand Somalia at the time, including how African Union forces pushed al-Shabaab out of most of the country's cities (American Diplomacy).
Where to read it
- Lending copy: Internet Archive
- In a library: WorldCat
Related pages
Sources
- Publishers Weekly · publishersweekly.com
- Hachette Book Group · hachettebookgroup.com
- African Arguments · africanarguments.org
- Reason · reason.com
- American Diplomacy · americandiplomacy.web.unc.edu
- Internet Archive · archive.org
- WorldCat · search.worldcat.org
Toosoo!
Calankii is made by Toosoo, which works for one united, prosperous Somalia.
Can you help with The World's Most Dangerous Place (2013) by James Fergusson: reporting from Somalia and its diaspora? Tell us what you can give.
I want to help with this
Where this matters
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Boosaaso (Bosaso) and BariBari is Puntland's north-east region, with the port city of Bosaso (Boosaaso) as its capital and about 1.28 million people.
- Garoowe (Garowe) and NugaalNugaal is the region around Garoowe (Garowe), Puntland's capital, with about 656,910 people in three districts.
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Black Hawk Down (1999) by Mark Bowden: the book on the 1993 battle of MogadishuMark Bowden's Black Hawk Down (1999): how it was researched, what it covers about the 1993 battle in Mogadishu, its reception and the 2001 film.
- Getting Somalia Wrong? (2012) by Mary Harper: faith, war and hope in a shattered stateMary Harper's Getting Somalia Wrong? (2012): its argument about the 'failed state' label, business and telecoms without a state, and how reviewers responded.
- Becoming Somaliland (2008) by Mark Bradbury: how Somaliland built a state after 1991Mark Bradbury's Becoming Somaliland (2008): what it covers from Somali history to Somaliland's peace conferences, elections and recognition, and how reviewers read it.
- The Pirates of Somalia (2011) by Jay Bahadur: inside the pirate world of PuntlandJay Bahadur's The Pirates of Somalia (2011): months in Puntland with pirates and the pirate leader Boyah, what he found in Eyl, and how reviewers responded.
- Inside Al-Shabaab (2018) by Harun Maruf and Dan Joseph: the history of the movementHarun Maruf and Dan Joseph's Inside Al-Shabaab (2018): who wrote it, its sources, what it covers from 2006 on, and what academic reviewers said.
- Al-Shabaab in Somalia (2013) by Stig Jarle Hansen: history and ideology, 2005 to 2012Stig Jarle Hansen's Al-Shabaab in Somalia (2013): its argument that the group is a hybrid of nationalism and jihadism, its structure, and how reviewers received it.