{"id":446770,"date":"2025-08-13T10:05:50","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T07:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sonna.so\/en\/?p=446770"},"modified":"2025-08-13T10:08:38","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T07:08:38","slug":"somalias-story-is-more-than-the-siege-narrative-its-time-the-world-reported-it-that-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonna.so\/en\/somalias-story-is-more-than-the-siege-narrative-its-time-the-world-reported-it-that-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Somalia\u2019s Story Is More Than the Siege Narrative. It\u2019s Time the World Reported It That Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cCriticise what is failing, but also report what is succeeding. Otherwise, it is not a journalism, it is a narrative warfare.\u201d<\/em> Somali Ministry of Defence official<\/p>\n

Over the past three weeks, three influential international outlets \u2014 The Economist<\/em>, The Telegraph<\/em> and Al Jazeera<\/em> \u2014 have painted a stark, almost apocalyptic picture of Somalia. They speak of a \u201cstate-building project in tatters\u201d, a capital \u201cgripped by fears of militant takeover\u201d and a government \u201closing control\u201d to Al-Shabaab.<\/p>\n

These portrayals, amplified in headlines and dramatic footage, are at odds with the facts on the ground. According to Somalia\u2019s Ministry of Defence (MoD), they not only distort reality but risk handing propaganda victories to the very extremists the country is fighting.<\/p>\n

When Headlines Tell Half the Story
\n<\/strong>The most glaring example comes from Al Jazeera\u2019s Project Force<\/em> video, which alleges that Balcad, a strategic town north of Mogadishu has fallen to Al-Shabaab. In truth, Balcad remains under firm control of Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF) and Burundi National Defence Forces (BNDF), with peaceful district elections held in June.<\/p>\n

The Telegraph<\/em> and The Economist<\/em> suggest militants are operating on Mogadishu\u2019s doorstep, conjuring images of an encircled city. The reality: Al-Shabaab\u2019s current tactics are asymmetric roadside bombs, targeted assassinations not territorial sieges.<\/p>\n

Omissions also distort perception. The Bariire offensive earlier this month, in which over 120 militants were killed and a major transit route reopened, barely registered in these reports. Nor did the repulsion of a July 25 attack on Sabiid, where Somali and AU forces killed 18 insurgents in a counteroperation the same day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the world only hears the first shot and not the last, it\u2019s a false picture.\u201d<\/em> – SNAF officer said.<\/p>\n

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Security Gains That Go Unreported
\n<\/strong>Somalia\u2019s war against Al-Shabaab is a protracted counterinsurgency \u2014 fluid, unpredictable, but not without momentum. Recent years have seen Somali forces retake large tracts of countryside, empower district administrations, and disrupt insurgent revenue streams.<\/p>\n

Elite units like DANAB<\/strong> and Gorgor<\/strong> have become pivotal. Their operations have surgically targeted senior Al-Shabaab commanders, disrupted logistics hubs, and reduced the group\u2019s ability to coordinate large-scale assaults.<\/p>\n

In the north, Puntland forces have waged an unrelenting campaign against ISIS cells in Bari and Puntland mountains, dismantling hideouts and arresting key figures. Local communities have mobilised alongside them, demonstrating a growing popular rejection of extremist ideology.<\/p>\n

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Economic and Social Momentum<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the international narrative has been dominated by conflict, Somalia\u2019s domestic reality includes pockets of rapid economic and social development:<\/p>\n