Al-Shabaab: growing from Somalia’s ruins

Al-Shabaab's history in Somalia, from colonial rule to present-day terror activities, leading to a fragile path to progress.

On August 2, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the entrance to the Beach View Hotel on Lido Beach in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, which is often frequented by government officials, businesspersons and youth. Before the shock could abate, five attackers stormed the site and started shooting at civilians indiscriminately. By the time security officials had neutralised the attackers, at least 37 lives were lost and 210 were wounded. The strike was subsequently claimed by al-Shabaab, an affiliate of al-Qaeda, which has waged a war against the Somali government for the past 17 years.

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For al-Shabaab, this operation was just another leaf in its playbook, having conducted similar strikes in the Horn of Africa. In March, the group had laid siege to another hotel in Mogadishu killing 27 people, including three members of parliament and three soldiers. The deadliest attack in the country’s history was the double car bombing in October 2017 killing 358 people and injuring 228 in Mogadishu. The attacks have spilled over the border to Kenya too.

But as far as Somalia goes, al-Shabaab is merely a chapter in the nation’s history that is fraught with authoritarianism, clan war, famine, piracy, corruption and resource crunch, all of which had prompted the U.S. based-The Fund for Peace to call the country in 2011, a failed state for a fourth year in a row. That is slowly changing with the UN stating in 2021 that the former failed state is on a fragile path to progress.

From the seventh to the 19th century, Somalia and neighbouring regions were ruled by a series of Sultanates, with Islam’s Sunni subsect being the primary religion. The 19th century witnessed the arrival of colonial powers, and the region was shared between British, Italian and French forces — the first two taking up the lion’s share of the area.

Upon the withdrawal of British and Italian forces from the northern and southern regions in 1960, the two regions came together and formed modern-day Somalia. Democracy prevailed for a brief time until 1969 when Siad Barre came to power through a military coup.

Siad Barre propounded an administrative policy called ‘scientific socialism’ through which he nationalised banks and insurance companies, promoted literacy and strengthened ties with the Soviet Union. Despite Somalis being a largely homogenous group, different clans had ruled the roost. However, Barre saw to it that loyalty to major clans such as Isaaq, Darood, Dir and Hawiye remained outlawed.