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Somali leaders highlighted the strategy’s shift from a reactive to a proactive, intelligence-driven model. In 2024 alone, these explosives have caused more than 1,400 casualties across Somalia
Somalia has launched its first-ever National Counter-IED Strategy, praised by the United Nations as an “important step forward” in the fight against improvised explosives widely used by the Al-Shabaab militant group.
Senior Somali officials and international partners gathered in Mogadishu on 15 September for the launch of the strategy, developed under Somali leadership and building on a Baseline Assessment introduced in February 2023.
James Swan, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, emphasized that the strategy represents a cohesive framework to strengthen ongoing efforts rather than starting from scratch.
Somali leaders highlighted the strategy’s shift from a reactive to a proactive, intelligence-driven model. In 2024 alone, these explosives have caused more than 1,400 casualties across Somalia.
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As the weapon of choice for Al-Shabaab, IEDs pose a continuous risk to civilians and security forces alike, undermining stability and development. The United Nations, through its Mine Action Service (UNMAS), has been a key partner in building Somalia’s capacity to counter these threats.
