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Era

2007–2012: Insurgency, Djibouti process, and the end of transition

From 2007 to 2012 Somalis and their partners rebuilt a national government step by step. An African Union force arrived in 2007, a former opposition leader became president in 2009, al-Shabaab left Mogadishu in August 2011, and in 2012 a provisional constitution ended the transition.

Last checked 2026-11-12 21 sources Reading time: 6 min English draft · native-speaker review in progress
  • 20 Feb 2007. Res. 1744 (unanimous) authorises AMISOM for six months. Its mandate is to protect dialogue participants and the transitional institutions and to support humanitarian access. The resolution welcomes Ethiopia's decision to withdraw and a reconciliation congress of political, clan and religious leaders and civil society. Actors: UN; AU; IGAD; Arab League What it meant for unity: The African Union takes on protection of the transitional state. By 1 Jul 2007 there were about 1,600 Ugandan troops Source: B22; B38
  • Mar–Apr 2007. Mogadishu fighting. HRW finds all three sides (Ethiopian forces, insurgents, TFG forces) responsible for serious violations of the laws of war. About 400,000 people are displaced. Actors: Ethiopian forces; TFG; insurgents What it meant for unity: The capital empties. Grievances against foreign forces grow Source: B12
  • Jul – 30 Aug 2007. National Reconciliation Conference produces a roadmap to 2009 elections. Key UIC figures and Mogadishu leaders refuse to attend. Actors: TFG; traditional leaders What it meant for unity: An inclusion attempt with major absences Source: B38
  • Early Sep 2007. Asmara conference (about 400 opposition leaders, with EU, UN and Arab League observers) forms the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS), headed by Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and ex-speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden. Committee shares: UIC 40%, former MPs 25%, diaspora 16%. Eritrea facilitates. Actors: ARS; Eritrea What it meant for unity: The opposition unites Islamists, parliamentarians and diaspora in one political front Source: B38
  • 9 Jun – Aug 2008. Djibouti Agreement (TFG–ARS, UN-facilitated; witnesses include the US, UK, France, Saudi Arabia, the AU, the Arab League, the OIC and the EU): cessation of hostilities, Ethiopian withdrawal within 120 days after UN forces deploy, joint security and high-level committees. Actors: TFG; ARS (Djibouti wing); UN What it meant for unity: The armed opposition's main political wing enters the state through negotiation Source: B14
  • Dec 2008 – 26 Jan 2009. Abdullahi Yusuf resigns (Dec 2008). Ethiopia completes its withdrawal (Jan 2009). Djibouti talks agree to expand parliament from 275 to 550 seats. Actors: TFG; ARS; Ethiopia What it meant for unity: Foreign troops leave and the parliament doubles to include the opposition Source: B15
  • Jan–Feb 2009. Sheikh Sharif (former ICU co-leader) becomes TFG president and announces sharia, which was one of the insurgents' demands. PM Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke makes reconciliation a priority. Actors: Sharif; Sharmarke; TFG What it meant for unity: A former opponent now heads the state, widening its base Source: B31
  • 4 Feb 2009. Hizbul Islam formed from ARS-Asmara (Aweys), Ras Kamboni, Jabhatul Islamiya and Anole. Its aims: oust the TFG, impose its sharia interpretation, expel AU troops. Actors: Hizbul Islam; Hassan Dahir Aweys What it meant for unity: Islamists who rejected Djibouti regroup Source: B17; B31
  • Late 2008 – 2009. Ahlu Sunna wal Jama'a (Sufi) takes up arms against al-Shabaab and takes Dusa Mareb, among other towns. Actors: ASWJ What it meant for unity: Traditional religious leadership mobilises in central Somalia Source: B31; B10
  • Oct 2009. Al-Shabaab takes full control of Kismayo after fighting Hizbul Islam. Actors: al-Shabaab; Hizbul Islam What it meant for unity: Rivalry among the armed opposition Source: B17
  • 2009–2010. Al-Shabaab runs law-enforcement, justice and tax structures (e.g. Kismayo livestock tax, 2010), funded partly by the diaspora and foreign supporters. It bans aid agencies and many social practices. Its support drew on opposition to Ethiopian forces and Somali nationalism, while its tactics alienated many. Actors: al-Shabaab What it meant for unity: Organisation-level governance outside the state Source: B32; B31; B1
  • 11 Jul 2010. Kampala bombings at World Cup screenings: at least 74 dead. It is al-Shabaab's first attack outside Somalia. Uganda's army spokesman says it is a reason to stay in Somalia. Actors: al-Shabaab; Uganda What it meant for unity: The conflict becomes regional. Troop-contributing states harden their commitment Source: B19; B1
  • 23–25 Dec 2010. Hizbul Islam absorbed into al-Shabaab, described by an Al Jazeera editor as "more a surrender than a merger" Actors: al-Shabaab; Hizbul Islam What it meant for unity: The armed opposition consolidates under one organisation Source: B16; B17
  • 9 Jun 2011. Kampala Accord: President Sharif and Speaker Sharif Hassan extend the transitional mandates to Aug 2012. PM Farmaajo resigns on 19 Jun. Critics say it made Uganda the "final arbiter" Actors: TFG leaders; Uganda; UN What it meant for unity: Ends a leadership standoff and sets a deadline for ending the transition Source: B25
  • 20 Jul 2011. Famine declared. A later FSNAU/FEWS NET study estimates about 260,000 deaths from Oct 2010 to Apr 2012, half of them children under five. Lower Shabelle, Mogadishu and Bay were hardest hit. Al-Shabaab banned most aid groups in its areas. Actors: UN; FAO; al-Shabaab; donors What it meant for unity: A humanitarian disaster at scale. Turkey calls for an OIC emergency meeting Source: B18; B20
  • 6 Aug 2011. Al-Shabaab pulls out of Mogadishu overnight. Its spokesman calls it a shift to guerrilla tactics; the government calls it a "golden victory for the Somali people" Actors: al-Shabaab; TFG; AMISOM What it meant for unity: The capital is under government and AU control for the first time since 1991 Source: B20; B1
  • Oct 2011. Kenya deploys into the Juba Valley (Linda Nchi), citing in part a refugee burden of over 500,000 Somalis. It aims at a Jubaland administration as a buffer. Crisis Group lists risks, among them Somali fears that one community would dominate Jubaland and disputes over Kismayo port revenue. Actors: Kenya; local allies What it meant for unity: A neighbour backs a new regional administration in the south Source: B13
  • Sep 2011 (Roadmap) – 24 Dec 2011. Garowe Principles (convened by the TFG, hosted by Puntland, facilitated by the UN; signed by the TFG, TFP, Puntland, Galmudug and ASWJ): a constituent assembly of up to 1,000 with 30% women; a 225-seat bicameral parliament with 20% women; elders nominate MPs; 4.5 limited to the first-term lower house; timeline to a 20 Aug 2012 presidential vote. Actors: Roadmap signatories; UN What it meant for unity: Regional states and a religious movement co-sign the end of transition. Federalism is set as the basis Source: B3; B23
  • 9 Feb 2012. Al-Qaeda's leader announces in a video that al-Shabaab has joined al-Qaeda, with al-Shabaab's leader pledging. Experts say the group had seen itself as an ally rather than a branch, and its first pledge to bin Laden dated from 2009. Actors: al-Shabaab; al-Qaeda What it meant for unity: Ties the insurgency to a global organisation Source: B21; B1
  • 1 Aug 2012. 825-member National Constituent Assembly adopts the Provisional Constitution: Islam as state religion, two-level federal system, powers outside four core areas left for negotiation, parliament to decide the number of federal member states, permanent constitution by referendum before 2016. Actors: NCA; traditional leaders; Technical Selection Committee (135); IIEC (15) What it meant for unity: A single national legal framework is agreed by Somali delegates Source: B23; B24
  • 4–6 Aug 2012. Roadmap signatories (Nairobi) proceed with 275 MPs and condemn "the use of intimidation and bribery to undermine the selection of MPs" Actors: Roadmap signatories; UNPOS; AMISOM What it meant for unity: Selection integrity is publicly flagged by the signatories themselves Source: B4
  • 20 Aug – 10 Sep 2012. Transitional mandate ends. House of the People sworn in (20 Aug). Parliament elects Hassan Sheikh Mohamud president (10 Sep). Al-Shabaab is forced out of major cities by late 2012. Actors: Federal Parliament; Hassan Sheikh Mohamud What it meant for unity: The transition (2000–2012) ends with the first non-transitional federal government Source: B24

Sources

  1. B22 · press.un.org
  2. B38 · securitycouncilreport.org
  3. B12 · hrw.org
  4. B14 · peaceagreements.org
  5. B15 · aljazeera.com
  6. B31 · ctc.westpoint.edu
  7. B17 · mappingmilitants.org
  8. B10 · crisisgroup.org
  9. B32 · africanarguments.org
  10. B1 · cfr.org
  11. B19 · aljazeera.com
  12. B16 · aljazeera.com
  13. B25 · thenewhumanitarian.org
  14. B18 · news.un.org
  15. B20 · aljazeera.com
  16. B13 · hornaffairs.com
  17. B3 · peaceagreements.org
  18. B23 · c-r.org
  19. B21 · aljazeera.com
  20. B24 · britannica.com
  21. B4 · peaceagreements.org

Gathered in our research record “Somalia 1991 to 2012: collapse, local rebuilding and the road to the Federal Government”. Wikipedia is used only as a backup.

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