# Deaths in armed conflict in Somalia by year, 1989–2026

> Reported deaths from armed conflict in Somalia each year from 1989 to 2026, from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, with what each period covers and the limits of the data.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/history/conflict-deaths-by-year-1989-2026/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

<nav aria-label="Jump to era"><ul class="era-jump"><li><a href="#era-1969-to-1991">1969 to 1991</a></li><li><a href="#era-1991-to-2000">1991 to 2000</a></li><li><a href="#era-2000-to-2012">2000 to 2012</a></li><li><a href="#era-2012-to-2020">2012 to 2020</a></li><li><a href="#era-2020-to-now">2020 to now</a></li></ul></nav>

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<label class="tl-toggle"><input type="checkbox"> Show who took part and what each event meant for unity</label>
## In short

This page gives one consistent count of deaths from armed conflict in Somalia, year by year, so that different periods can be compared. It records the numbers as the source gives them, without drawing conclusions about who was responsible. Responsibility for particular attacks is covered on the pages for each force and group.

## The source

The figures are the Uppsala Conflict Data Program's best estimates of deaths of combatants and civilians from fighting in all kinds of conflict: between states, between a government and armed groups, between armed groups, and attacks on civilians ("one-sided violence"). A conflict is counted when it causes at least 25 deaths in a year. Deaths from disease and famine caused by war are not included. The 2026 figure covers only the first half of the year and is based on quarterly reports, which can be underestimates ([Our World in Data, "Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred", from UCDP 2026](https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/deaths-in-armed-conflicts-by-country); [Uppsala Conflict Data Program](https://ucdp.uu.se/)).

## Year by year

| Year | Deaths | Year | Deaths | Year | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 1,061 | 2002 | 624 | 2015 | 1,239 |
| 1990 | 2,700 | 2003 | 395 | 2016 | 2,055 |
| 1991 | 8,455 | 2004 | 656 | 2017 | 2,060 |
| 1992 | 4,729 | 2005 | 338 | 2018 | 2,432 |
| 1993 | 478 | 2006 | 1,187 | 2019 | 2,179 |
| 1994 | 625 | 2007 | 1,584 | 2020 | 2,091 |
| 1995 | 443 | 2008 | 1,731 | 2021 | 2,253 |
| 1996 | 939 | 2009 | 2,146 | 2022 | 3,100 |
| 1997 | 268 | 2010 | 2,697 | 2023 | 4,175 |
| 1998 | 312 | 2011 | 2,093 | 2024 | 2,400 |
| 1999 | 522 | 2012 | 2,983 | 2025 | 3,869 |
| 2000 | 171 | 2013 | 1,037 | 2026* | 3,031 |
| 2001 | 445 | 2014 | 1,225 | | |

\* January to June 2026 only. (UCDP via Our World in Data.)

## What each period covers


<h2 id="era-1969-to-1991">1969 to 1991</h2>

<ol class="timeline"><li><span class="tl__marker" aria-hidden="true"></span><h3 class="tl__year">1989–1992</h3><p class="tl__body">The war against the government of <a href="/en/people/siad-barre/">Siad Barre</a> by the <a href="/en/institutions/somali-national-movement/">SNM</a>, <a href="/en/institutions/united-somali-congress/">USC</a>, <a href="/en/institutions/somali-patriotic-movement/">SPM</a> and others, its fall in January 1991 and the fighting that followed. See <a href="/en/history/armed-movements-1978-1991/">Armed movements, 1978–1991</a>.</p></li></ol>

<h2 id="era-1991-to-2000">1991 to 2000</h2>

<ol class="timeline"><li><span class="tl__marker" aria-hidden="true"></span><h3 class="tl__year">1993–2005</h3><p class="tl__body">The <a href="/en/history/un-intervention-1992-1995/">UN intervention</a> and years of fighting between factions such as the <a href="/en/institutions/somali-national-alliance/">Somali National Alliance</a> and the <a href="/en/institutions/rahanweyn-resistance-army/">RRA</a>. See <a href="/en/history/rebuilding-1991-1999/">Rebuilding, 1991–1999</a>.</p></li></ol>

<h2 id="era-2000-to-2012">2000 to 2012</h2>

<ol class="timeline"><li><span class="tl__marker" aria-hidden="true"></span><h3 class="tl__year">2006–2012</h3><p class="tl__body">The <a href="/en/history/islamic-courts-union-2006/">Islamic Courts</a>, the Ethiopian intervention, the insurgency led by <a href="/en/history/al-shabaab/">al-Shabaab</a> and the <a href="/en/institutions/amisom/">AMISOM</a> campaign. See <a href="/en/institutions/foreign-forces-in-somalia/">Foreign forces in Somalia</a>.</p></li></ol>

<h2 id="era-2012-to-2020">2012 to 2020</h2>

<ol class="timeline"><li><span class="tl__marker" aria-hidden="true"></span><h3 class="tl__year">2013–2021</h3><p class="tl__body">War between al-Shabaab and the federal government and AU forces, and the rise in <a href="/en/history/us-air-strikes-in-somalia/">US air strikes</a> from 2017.</p></li></ol>

<h2 id="era-2020-to-now">2020 to now</h2>

<ol class="timeline"><li><span class="tl__marker" aria-hidden="true"></span><h3 class="tl__year">2022–2026</h3><p class="tl__body">The <a href="/en/history/offensive-against-al-shabaab-2022-2025/">offensive against al-Shabaab</a> with the <a href="/en/institutions/macawisley/">Macawisley</a>, fighting between federal and <a href="/en/institutions/jubaland-security-forces/">Jubaland forces</a>, and Puntland's campaign against the <a href="/en/institutions/islamic-state-somalia/">Islamic State in Somalia</a>.</p></li></ol>

## Limits of the data

<ol class="timeline"><li><span class="tl__marker" aria-hidden="true"></span><h3 class="tl__year">Reporting</h3><p class="tl__body">UCDP's figures are best estimates built from reported events; deaths that are never reported cannot be counted, and the source warns that its latest quarterly figures can be underestimates (Our World in Data).</p></li><li><span class="tl__marker" aria-hidden="true"></span><h3 class="tl__year">Other counts</h3><p class="tl__body">The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (ACLED) uses a different method, so its totals differ from UCDP's; Human Rights Watch and the UN also publish civilian casualty figures for particular years (<a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2024/country-chapters/somalia">Human Rights Watch, <em>World Report 2024</em>, Somalia</a>).</p></li><li><span class="tl__marker" aria-hidden="true"></span><h3 class="tl__year">By region</h3><p class="tl__body">UCDP and ACLED also record the location of each event, but those breakdowns are not reproduced here.</p></li></ol>

## Read the primary sources yourself

- Our World in Data, conflict deaths by country (from UCDP): [chart and data](https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/deaths-in-armed-conflicts-by-country).
- Uppsala Conflict Data Program: [database](https://ucdp.uu.se/).

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