As of 2024, 163 countries are ranked on the GPI with a ranking of 1-5. One is the most peaceful country, and 5 is the least peaceful. Somalia is ranked 153 with high rankings of terrorism, internal organized conflicts, political instability/terror, deaths from conflicts, violent crimes, displacement, and international conflict. But what continues to keep the country in this condition?
These issues are not new to Somalia; the civil war there has been going on since 1991 when the Siad Barre regime collapsed, and a de facto state called Somaliland declared independence. The US tried intervening in 1992 when the UN needed backup due to supplies being stolen from insurgent and militant groups. Troops had to pull out of Somalia in 1993 when the Islamic extremist group Al-Shabbab shot down two American Black Hawk Helicopters in a battle that resulted in the deaths of 18 American soldiers and an estimated 200 Somalians.
Al-Shabaab members in uniform
Internal conflicts continue to wage in Somalia over 30 years later between terrorist groups and the government, but outside of the country, Somalian pirates make a return to the Red Sea. The pirates are known for taking people hostage and holding them for ransom, but this has not been a significant issue since the early 2010s when security precautions were implemented to combat them. The return of the pirates stems from the removal of resources that protected the water from piracy. Resources were taken away to be used in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. From January to September 2024, 3 vessels were hijacked by Somalian pirates, and in February 2025, they seized a Yemeni ship that they operated and controlled for 5 days before abandoning it.
Man being held hostage by Somali pirates
While the topic of terrorism and war is the focal point in media coverage of Somalia, another issue looms there. According to the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) 3.4 million people are experiencing severe hunger which is expected to increase to 4.4 million by June. The people of Somalia suffer from hunger due to devastating droughts caused by extremely low amounts of rainfall. When the country has gotten rainfall in recent years, it has caused erratic floods that have wiped out schools, shelters, latrines, and livestock, caused mass displacement, and killed Somali people. From April to June 2024, heavy rainfall affected 268,359 people, with a large number of them being displaced, and resulted in the deaths of 10 people.
The combination of violence, lack of resources, high rates of poverty, and rough weather makes the quality of life in Somalia poor. Two-thirds of Somalian people face poverty across the country, and rural areas, in particular, have poverty rates around 80%. The problems there have become everyday life for most of the population for decades. Even with agencies and organizations trying to help, the country hasn’t reached a stable position. The Somali people have an average life expectancy of only 54 years due to the issues in their environment, and if something doesn’t change soon, more people will be displaced and die due to these issues.
