🇸🇴 Is there a war in Somalia?Yes. UCDP lists 6 active armed conflicts with fighting recorded in Somalia.
1 of them at war level (1,000+ deaths in a year). Largest: Somalia: Government , 2,989 deaths in 2025.
Updated 30 October 2026 · UCDP data through 30 September 2026 · View on map →
Deaths recorded in Somalia in 2025 3,095 in state-based fighting
774 in fighting between armed groups
3 in attacks on civilians (one-sided violence)
UCDP GED Global 26.1: best estimates for events located in Somalia (as UCDP places them), by type of violence. The three are shown separately, as UCDP counts them, and are not added together here.
The conflicts
Each conflict as UCDP defines it: a dispute with at least 25 battle-related deaths in a year. Figures are UCDP best estimates; the newest months are preliminary and can change.
UCDP does not record who started each clash.
War level State-based conflict · UCDP start year 1982
Somalia: Government 2,989 deaths in 2025 UCDP Battle-Related Deaths Dataset 26.1 (conflict level)
2,915 deaths in Jan–Sep 2026 preliminary · UCDP Candidate Events Dataset 26.01.26.09
52,233 total 1989–2025 sum of the UCDP yearly figures below (30 years listed)
Who is fighting: Government of Somalia vs Al-Shabaab
1989: 379 1990: 2,710 1991: 8,005 1992: 1,154 1993: 25 1994: 237 1995: 104 1996: 256 1997: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 1998: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 1999: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2000: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2001: 228 2002: 114 2003: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2004: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2005: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2006: 547 2007: 1,546 2008: 1,491 2009: 1,467 2010: 2,150 2011: 1,938 2012: 2,646 2013: 940 2014: 1,153 2015: 1,206 2016: 1,933 2017: 1,918 2018: 2,083 2019: 1,910 2020: 1,901 2021: 2,119 2022: 3,034 2023: 3,859 2024: 2,191 2025: 2,989 2026: 2,915 (Jan–Sep 2026, preliminary) 1989 highest: 8,005 2026*
* Jan–Sep 2026, preliminary (hatched). Grey: year not in the dataset (UCDP lists a conflict-year only with at least 25 deaths).
Latest recorded fighting: September 2026
Figures by year Year Deaths (best estimate) Jan–Sep 2026 preliminary 2,915 2025 2,989 2024 2,191 2023 3,859 2022 3,034 2021 2,119 2020 1,901 2019 1,910 2018 2,083 2017 1,918 2016 1,933 2015 1,206 2014 1,153 2013 940 2012 2,646 2011 1,938 2010 2,150 2009 1,467 2008 1,491 2007 1,546 2006 547 2002 114 2001 228 1996 256 1995 104 1994 237 1993 25 1992 1,154 1991 8,005 1990 2,710 1989 379
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Armed conflict Non-state conflict (between armed groups) · UCDP start year 2024
Puntland State of Somalia - IS 774 deaths in 2025 UCDP Non-State Conflict Dataset 26.1
801 total 2024–2025 sum of the UCDP yearly figures below (2 years listed)
Who is fighting: Puntland State of Somalia vs IS
2024: 27 2025: 774 2024 highest: 774 2025
Grey: year not in the dataset (UCDP lists a conflict-year only with at least 25 deaths).
Latest recorded fighting: December 2025
Figures by year Year Deaths (best estimate) 2025 774 2024 27
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Armed conflict State-based conflict · UCDP start year 2018
Somalia: Islamic State 106 deaths in 2025 UCDP Battle-Related Deaths Dataset 26.1 (conflict level)
13 deaths in Jan–Sep 2026 preliminary · UCDP Candidate Events Dataset 26.01.26.09
233 total 2019–2025 sum of the UCDP yearly figures below (4 years listed)
Who is fighting: Government of Somalia vs IS
2018: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2019: 33 2020: 41 2021: 53 2022: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2023: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2024: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2025: 106 2026: 13 (Jan–Sep 2026, preliminary) 2018 highest: 106 2026*
* Jan–Sep 2026, preliminary (hatched). Grey: year not in the dataset (UCDP lists a conflict-year only with at least 25 deaths).
Latest recorded fighting: April 2026
Figures by year Year Deaths (best estimate) Jan–Sep 2026 preliminary 13 2025 106 2021 53 2020 41 2019 33
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Armed conflict State-based conflict · UCDP start year 2015
Kenya: Northeastern Province and Coast 44 deaths in 2025 UCDP Battle-Related Deaths Dataset 26.1 (conflict level)
19 deaths in Jan–Sep 2026 preliminary · UCDP Candidate Events Dataset 26.01.26.09
842 total 2015–2025 sum of the UCDP yearly figures below (11 years listed)
Who is fighting: Government of Kenya vs Al-Shabaab
2015: 42 2016: 49 2017: 85 2018: 69 2019: 61 2020: 94 2021: 78 2022: 72 2023: 196 2024: 52 2025: 44 2026: 19 (Jan–Sep 2026, preliminary) 2015 highest: 196 2026*
* Jan–Sep 2026, preliminary (hatched). Grey: year not in the dataset (UCDP lists a conflict-year only with at least 25 deaths).
Latest recorded fighting: July 2026
Conflict-wide figures (not only Somalia). Also recorded in: Kenya .
Figures by year Year Deaths (best estimate) Jan–Sep 2026 preliminary 19 2025 44 2024 52 2023 196 2022 72 2021 78 2020 94 2019 61 2018 69 2017 85 2016 49 2015 42
UCDP conflict page · CrisisWatch: Kenya · War WATCH (legal classification) · View on map →
Armed conflict Non-state conflict (between armed groups)
IS - SFC – 2025: not in the dataset below 25 deaths or no data
46 deaths in Jan–Sep 2026 preliminary · UCDP Candidate Events Dataset 26.01.26.09
Who is fighting: IS vs SFC
1989: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 1990: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 1991: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 1992: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 1993: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 1994: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 1995: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 1996: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 1997: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 1998: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 1999: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2000: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2001: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2002: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2003: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2004: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2005: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2006: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2007: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2008: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2009: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2010: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2011: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2012: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2013: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2014: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2015: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2016: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2017: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2018: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2019: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2020: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2021: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2022: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2023: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2024: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2025: not in the dataset (below 25 deaths or no data) 2026: 46 (Jan–Sep 2026, preliminary) 1989 highest: 46 2026*
* Jan–Sep 2026, preliminary (hatched). Grey: year not in the dataset (UCDP lists a conflict-year only with at least 25 deaths).
Latest recorded fighting: September 2026
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1 more conflict in Somalia