About this episode

Alan discusses the potential end of UN logistical support for the African Union mission in Somalia with guest Samira Gaid.

This week on The Horn, Alan talks with Samira Gaid, founder and senior analyst at the Mogadishu-based think tank Balqiis, about the possible end of UNSOS, the UN logistics operation supporting African Union troops and Somali government forces fighting Al-Shabaab and what may come next. In this episode of The Horn , Alan is joined by Samira Gaid, founder and senior analyst at the Mogadishu-based think tank Balqiis about the U.S. decision to oppose renewed United Nations logistical support for the 19-year-old African Union military mission in Somalia. Samira explains why UN logistical support has been critical to the AU mission as well as to Somali government forces fighting Al-Shabaab, and why its loss could leave some areas outside Mogadishu increasingly vulnerable. They also discuss what could happen if no solution or stopgap measure is found, and the 12,000-strong African Union mission ceases to function by the end of the year. They discuss how such a scenario could shift the balance of power on the battlefield between the federal government and Al-Shabaab. They also assess whether Mogadishu’s pursuit of bilateral security partnerships could fill the void left by a weakened or…

People in this episode

Host: Alan

Guest: Samira Gaid

Topics covered

• UN logistics
• African Union mission
• Somalia security
• Al-Shabaab
• military operations
• international relations

Keywords

• UNSOS
• African Union
• Somalia
• Al-Shabaab
• military support
• logistics
• security partnerships

Sponsors

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Balqiis, UNSOS, African Union, United Nations

Places: Somalia, Mogadishu, Al-Shabaab

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