Theoretically, it is possible to differentiate stabilisation from counter-terrorism, or state-and-peace building, by showing the different phases of the conflict cycle and a linear division of labour among different actors engaged in post-conflict settings. Yet, the boundaries between policy concepts become blurry when they are implemented on the ground, especially in countries like Somalia. Here, the dust of conflict quickly settles over policy frameworks, making it difficult to define with clarity what stability is, how to achieve it, how to measure it, or where transition ends and recovery begins.

International donors have provided large sums to support military and civilian-led stabilisation in Somalia. Yet, a stable Somalia appears to be a distant dream, with a planned withdrawal of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in 2021 constituting a looming threat to all other stabilisation programs in the country. In 2018, violent conflict in Somalia accounted for 5,113 fatalities out of a total of 43,769 fatalities since AMISOM was created on 17 January 2007.

Why is it that despite international support, stabilisation in Somalia appears so far away? And what are the lessons to gather from Somalia for international stabilisation efforts?