Somali civil war (2009–present)

The Somali civil war (2009–present) is the ongoing phase of the Somali civil war which is concentrated in southern and central Somalia. It began in late January 2009 with the present conflict mainly between the forces of the Federal Government of Somalia assisted by African Union peacekeeping troops and al-Qaeda-aligned al-Shabaab militants.

During the insurgency that followed the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia, al-Shabaab rose to prominence and made significant territorial gains. Several weeks before the end of the military occupation, Islamist insurgents had seized most the south and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was on the verge of collapse. At the end of January 2009, Ethiopian troops withdrew from Somalia and former Islamic Courts Union leader Sharif Ahmed was elected president of the TFG, marking a new phase of the civil war. Al-Shabaab and allied Islamist groups continued fighting against the new TFG and the African Union mission (AMISOM) throughout 2009 and 2010, weakening the fraile TFG further. By 2010, al-Shabaab reached its peak operational capacity as it absorbed other Islamist factions. The group also began embracing drastic changes in the types of they attacks utilized and their frequency. That year they carried out the Kampala bombings in response to Ugandan support for AMISOM.

In August 2011, al-Shabaab withdrew from Mogadishu and lost the significant control it had established in the city since the insurgency began in 2007. While the group continues to carry out operations in the capital, the 2011 withdrawal marked the end of a strong insurgent presence. The Kenyan invasion of southern Somalia, Operation Linda Nchi, began in October 2011. The Kenyan government had become concerned by the growing refugee crisis and instability along its porous northern border, and intended to create a buffer-zone to prevent over-spill of the conflict into Kenyan territory. Al-Shabaab came under increasing pressure from the Kenyan intervention, which joined TFG and AMISOM troops in attacking the group. This combination challenged al-Shabaab's position in the south and drove the Islamists from the important port city of Kismayo. Somalia suffered a severe famine during 2011, further weakening al-Shabaab.

Despite the growing challenges, al-Shabaab still controls large swathes of territory in southern Somalia. It remains influential in many rural areas, and it now prioritizes guerrilla and terror attacks over territorial acquisitions. The Islamic State in Somalia (ISS) and Hizbul Islam have also carried out attacks against both factions. In 2013 Hizbul Islam renounced violence against the government, but as of 2023, ISS remains active in northern Somalia.