MOGADISHU, Somalia— Al-Shabaab continues to pose a significant threat to Somalia’s security, stability, and prosperity, and controls territory throughout south and central Somalia. On October 14, 2017, Al-Shabaab killed almost 600 people when it detonated a vehicle-born IED in Mogadishu.
The widespread trafficking of SA/LW and ammunition, including from Yemen, enables Al-Shabaab and other non-state actors to carry out attacks and continue destabilizing the Horn of Africa.
Additionally, Al-Shabaab can harvest explosives from unsecured and abandoned munitions caches to create IEDs.
CWD efforts focus on capacity building within the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) security forces to properly manage their conventional weapons stockpiles, particularly in south-central Somalia, where the risk of illicit diversion to non-state actors is the highest.
Since 2016, the United States has also supported HALO’s mobile weapons and ammunition disposal (WAD) teams that can destroy abandoned munitions.
These teams have destroyed 1,622 munitions, the vast majority of which is UXO and includes one SA-07 MANPADS missile.
From 1998 to 2018, the United States invested more than $28.8 million in CWD programs in Somalia for PSSM, munitions destruction, MANPADS stockpile reduction, humanitarian mine action, and other programs to promote stability.
In 2018, the Department of State supported the following implementing partners:
HALO deployed WAD teams to south-central Somalia that destroyed 663 unsecured munitions, and planned the construction of two armories in Hirshabelle and Galmadug States.
HALO continued to implement a final humanitarian mine action project in Somaliland, clearing over 37,000 square meters (over 9 acres) and build capacity by training, equipping, and mentoring two Somaliland regional authority teams.
HALO also organized stakeholder meetings in Hargeisa to develop Somaliland ownership and mine action capacity beyond the project’s conclusion.
MAG upgraded the physical security of three explosive storehouses in Hargeisa, built an ammunition storage facility in Mogadishu, and planned the construction of a new armory in Mogadishu. MAG also trained 160 security personnel in PSSM.
