What drives Al-Shabaab in Somalia: foreign forces out, Sharia law in and overthrow the government

The Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu where a 30-hour Al-Shabaab siege left 21 people dead in August 2022. Hassan Elmi/AFP via Getty Images

In response to external – and at times internal – pressure, Al-Shabaab’s insurgency in Somalia has evolved over time.

Before 2008, Al-Shabaab was a small player within the larger Islamic Courts Union (ICU). The Union was an umbrella entity that emerged around 2003 to provide justice and security in Mogadishu in the absence of a formal state.