Mogadishu (Somalia Today) — Somalia’s defence ministry has rejected an International Crisis Group report on the war against Al-Shabaab, accusing the think-tank of presenting a “distorted account” of the country’s counter-terrorism campaign.
In a strongly worded statement issued Monday, the ministry said the June 30 report, titled New Chapter, Same Stalemate: Somalia’s War with Al-Shabaab, was “regrettably flawed, fundamentally unbalanced” and failed to recognise the sacrifices made by Somali soldiers, local communities and international partners.
The Crisis Group report said Al-Shabaab made “major advances” in 2025, reversing gains made by government forces two years earlier, while federal authorities had since regrouped to secure areas around Mogadishu.
It said large parts of central Somalia remained under militant control, leaving the country in a military stalemate in which neither side could keep a lasting advantage.
Somalia’s defence ministry rejected that assessment, particularly the report’s description of changes in Al-Shabaab’s behaviour in areas under its control.
“The notion that Al-Shabaab has voluntarily become more responsive, more pragmatic, or somehow less coercive is not only false but an affront to the thousands of Somali civilians, soldiers, elders, religious leaders, women and children who have been murdered, maimed, displaced, and terrorised by this brutal terrorist organisation,” it said.
Report disputed
The ministry said Al-Shabaab had not softened its conduct by choice, but had changed tactics because Somali forces and local communities had squeezed its ability to operate freely.
“Al-Shabaab did not suddenly choose to reduce its brutality,” the statement said.
“It was rather forced to adapt due to relentless military pressure from the Somali National Armed Forces, the bravery of the Somali people, and the steadfast support of Somalia’s international partners.”
The ministry said any reduction in the group’s ability to extort businesses, intimidate communities, collect illegal revenues or move freely came from sustained government operations, “not a voluntary transformation by a terrorist movement”.
Al-Shabaab has fought Somalia’s internationally backed government for nearly two decades. The group controls parts of rural central and southern Somalia and continues to carry out attacks in Mogadishu and other areas.
The government launched a major offensive against the militants in 2022, backed by local clan militias and international partners. That campaign made gains in several areas of central Somalia before slowing amid counter-attacks, political divisions and logistical strains.
‘Humanising’ militants
The defence ministry accused Crisis Group of giving too much weight to Al-Shabaab’s tactical adjustments and not enough to the violence and coercion that underpin the group’s rule.
“Equally concerning is the report’s attempt to humanise one of Africa’s deadliest terrorist organisations by portraying tactical adaptation as evidence of improved governance or greater concern for civilians,” it said.
“Such narratives risk advancing Al-Shabaab’s propaganda objectives by sanitising the crimes of an outfit responsible for decades of mass murder, suicide bombings, forced recruitment of children, extortion, sexual violence, and the destruction of Somali livelihoods.”
The ministry said “no amount of analytical reframing” could erase those crimes or confer legitimacy on the group.
It also accused the report of downplaying the sacrifices made by Somali forces in securing the capital and other areas once threatened by the militants.
“The report fails to acknowledge one undeniable fact: today’s Mogadishu is safer because Somali security forces fought for it,” the ministry said.
“Somali soldiers shed their blood to liberate communities, dismantle terrorist networks, eliminate senior operatives, and deny Al-Shabaab the freedom it once enjoyed.”
War scrutiny
The dispute comes as Somalia faces renewed questions over the direction of the war and the future of international military support.
The African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia, known as AUSSOM, replaced ATMIS at the start of 2025 and continues to support Somali operations against Al-Shabaab.
The mission protects key sites, backs Somali forces and supports stabilisation efforts, but its long-term funding has remained a concern as Somalia works to build its own security institutions.
Those concerns have deepened after the United States told the African Union it would block continued UN logistical support for the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia from the start of next year, a move officials warned could threaten the mission’s survival.
Crisis Group said military pressure alone would not end the insurgency and urged Mogadishu to improve training, work more closely with federal member states and explore political openings to end the conflict.
Somali officials have pushed back against the report’s conclusions, saying the government is fighting Al-Shabaab while rebuilding national forces and advancing wider state-building reforms.
The defence ministry said research institutions had a duty to ensure that their analysis did not “inadvertently lend credibility to violent extremist groups or diminish the sacrifices of those fighting them”.
“The Federal Government of Somalia remains unwavering in its commitment to defeating Al-Shabaab,” it said.
“We pay tribute to the courage and sacrifice of the Somali National Armed Forces, our security institutions, local communities, and our international partners whose collective efforts have transformed Somalia’s security landscape and continue to protect our nation’s future.”
The ministry ended its statement with a sharper rebuke of the report’s framing.
“History will remember that Somalia’s progress was earned through sacrifice and not granted by the goodwill of terrorists,” it said.
