This fact sheet provides a snapshot of conclusions from a Research Report produced as part of RESOLVE's Local Peacebuilding Initiative (LPBI). This research was conducted in the context of a Somali state offensive in the Federal Member States of Hirshabelle and Galmudug that generated more territorial gains from al-Shabaab than any other military campaign since the mid-2010s. Such conditions provide fertile ground for disengagement from the insurgents, with many ex-members enrolled into the National Program for the Treatment and Handling of Disengaged Combatants. A core element of this program is its communications pillar, which seeks to promote disengagement through a variety of channels, including radio, television, social media, phone conversations, leaflets, and word-of-mouth. This research aims to inform these campaigns, drawing from interviews conducted in May 2023 with former members of al-Shabaab at the Serendi center in Mogadishu.

 

To learn more about the report's findings and recommendations, please refer to the RESOLVE Research Report by James Khalil, Yahye Abdi, Andrew Glazzard, Abdullahi Ahmed Nor, and Martine Zeuthen: Reaching Behind Frontlines: Promoting Exit from al-Shabaab through Communications Campaigns (2023).