The federal government of Somalia was established in 2013 after years of peace and reconciliation talks, held in the context of a famine in 2011 and the rise of militant Islam in the form of al-Shabaab. It was the first permanent central government in Somalia since the start of the civil war in 1991.
Peace agreements and political settlements do not necessarily transform a country’s development prospects. In Somalia and the region, conflict and political instability continue. The federal government still has limited reach and authority, and al-Shabaab is still entrenched.
