ABSTRACT
Somalia’s political troubles instead worsened in 2018 as the agreements meant to chart the country’s future fell apart. Somalia is made up of federal member states, each of which has its own administration. Somalia claims to have six federal member states – Puntland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, South West, Jubaland and Somaliland, as well as the Banadir Regional Administration containing the capital Mogadishu. The African Union Mission in Somalia is one of the largest, longest-running and most complex peacekeeping missions in the world. Al-Shabaab has a tenacious grip of control over much of southern Somalia and in the Galgala Mountain region of Puntland. The federal government continues to lack widespread legitimacy and the capacity to govern the majority of Somalia. The key challenge for security forces and, more broadly, for the federal government, in southern Somalia is ensuring that military victories translate into lasting government control.
