This study examines the African Union Mission in Somalia’s (AMISOM) contribution to security development between 2008 and 2020, with particular attention to the interaction between its military, police, and civilian components. Using a qualitative descriptive design, the study draws on semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and case studies from key operational regions to assess how AU interventions shaped territorial control, institutional capacity, and local governance. The findings indicate that AMISOM played a decisive role in weakening Al-Shabaab’s conventional control over major urban centres, restoring basic state authority, and enabling political and humanitarian activities. Its military component achieved important territorial gains, while AU police units supported capacity building, community policing, and public order management. Civilian stabilization initiatives also contributed to early recovery and local governance in newly liberated areas. However, these achievements were limited by structural challenges, including inadequate force enablers, fragmented Somali security institutions, premature transitions that created security vacuums, and short-term donor-driven stabilization programmes. Coordination among mission components improved over time but remained uneven and personality-dependent. The study concludes that AMISOM was effective in crisis containment and partial stabilization, but sustainable security in Somalia requires stronger institutional consolidation, nationally owned security sector reform, and integrated governance.
Addan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.