Somalia Country Profile

The Federal Republic of Somalia is located in the Horn of Africa in northeast Africa. It borders the Indian Ocean to the east, the Gulf of Aden to the north, Djibouti to the northwest, Ethiopia to the west, and Kenya to the southwest.

The official languages are Somali and Arabic, with some English and Italian also spoken. It is 99% Muslim. It's main economic sectors are agriculture and livestock with some promising oil and gas deposits. It has good access to the Indian ocean with a long coastline and six ports. The country is a historic trading region. The estimated 2024 population was over 13 million.

The past several decades have been one of turmoil with Somalia being called by many national security observers as a failed state.There is a long-running insurgency being conducted by Al-Shabaab. The United States has been heavily involved in the affairs of Somalia, along with other international actors, to brind stability to Somalia. Thus far, this has yielded very little results.

Map of Somalia with Africa

Maps by CIA. (click here for a larger image)

Somalia has been engaged in warfare with militia clans and jihadist groups for decades. Despite support from regional armed forces, the United States, and others the insurgent groups - like Al Shabaab - remain a constant threat to security.

The Somali Armed Forces (SAF) consists of the Somali National Army (SNA), the Somali Navy, and the Somali Air Force. The Somali National Police (SNP) comes under the Ministry of Internal Security. Somaliland and Puntland, located in northern Somalia, have separate military, security, and paramilitary forces. As of 2025 there were 20,000 active members of the Somail Armed forces. There are also tens of thousands of militia forces in Somalia.

References

Somalia Country Page - U.S. Department of State
https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/somalia

Somalia Travel Advisory - U.S. Department of State
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/somalia-travel-advisory.html

U.S. Embassy in Somalia
https://so.usembassy.gov/

Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Somalia
https://web.mfa.gov.so/

Somalia - The World Factbook, CIA
https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/somalia/

Somalia - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia

Somalia - UNHCR - UN Refugee Agency
https://www.unhcr.org/us/where-we-work/countries/somalia

Traveler's Health - U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - CDC
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/somalia

Somalia - Human Rights Watch (HRW)
https://www.hrw.org/africa/somalia

Somalia - International Monetary Fund (IMF)
https://www.imf.org/en/countries/som

Somalia - World Health Organization (WHO)
https://www.who.int/countries/som/

Al Shabaab

As of mid-2025, al-Shabaab maintains significant control over various regions in Somalia, particularly in the central and southern parts of the country. The group's influence is most pronounced in rural areas of Middle Shabelle, Lower Shabelle, Hiraan, Galgaduud, and parts of Bakool and Lower Juba. These regions have seen a resurgence of al-Shabaab activity, with the group launching offensives to reclaim territories lost in previous years.

In early 2025, al-Shabaab initiated the "Shabelle Offensive," aiming to encircle Mogadishu and disrupt the Somali government's control. Key towns such as Adan Yabal, Bal'ad, and Wargaadhi experienced intense clashes, with control shifting between government forces and al-Shabaab militants. The group's ability to launch coordinated attacks and temporarily seize strategic locations underscores its persistent threat to Somalia's stability.

View a map depicting areas of control by Al-Shabaab in Somalia (Wikipedia - 2025)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Emirate_of_Somalia

U.S. Special Operations Forces in Somalia

Danab Brigade. This unit, aka "Lightning Brigade", is supported by the United States and has provided a special operations capability to the Somalia government in the fight against al-Shabaab. The Danab Battalion (now a multi-battalion brigade as of 2020?) is a U.S.-trained elite Somali commando unit operating under the Somali National Army (SNA), primarily tasked with conducting counterterrorism and special operations against Al-Shabaab and other militant groups. Formed in the early 2010s with significant support from U.S. Special Operations Forces, Danab has grown into one of Somalia’s most capable military forces. The unit receives specialized training in intelligence-driven raids, urban combat, and hostage rescue.

Gorgor Commando Brigade. This is a major component of the Somali National Army (SNA) that has been trained by Turkey. As of June 2023, nine Gorgor infantry battalions have been trained by in both Somalia at Camp TURKSOM (Wikipedia) and in Turkey.The Gorgor brigade, aka "African Eagle", is part of a broader military cooperation agreement with Somalia that began in 2015. The initial Gorgor battalion is believed to have been fielded in 2019.

CIA. The Central Intelligence Agency has been actively involved in Somali affairs due to the persistant problem of terrorism from Al-Shabaab, ISIS, and other jihadist organizations. See "CIA Activities in Somalia" by Wikipedia.

Papers and Pubs on Somalia

Somalia, Congressional Research Center, CRS IF10155, PDF, 3 pgs.
https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF10155/IF10155.16.pdf

Muibu, Daisy and Yayedior Mbengue, "Somalia at a Crossroads: Resurgent Insurgents, Fragmented Politics, and the Uncertain Future of AUSSOM", CTC Sentinel, Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, May 2025.
https://ctc.westpoint.edu/somalia-at-a-crossroads-resurgent-insurgents-fragmented-politics-and-the-uncertain-future-of-aussom/