SUMMARY
Hizbul Islam leader, and well-known character in the Somali civil war, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, returned to Mogadishu in late April 2009 after having spent at least two years abroad, based in Asmara, Eritrea. In Mogadishu, Aweys’ new alliance opposition group, Hizbul Islam, collaborated with the main insurgent actor Al-Shabaab to launch a large-scale offensive against the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in May. The offensive nearly succeeded in toppling the TFG – opposition forces came within blocks of the presidential palace. AU forces deployed to Somalia, AMISOM, were forced to intervene when it became clear that the TFG could not withstand insurgent advances. With their superior fire-power, AMISOM succeeded in deterring the insurgents, and inflicting heavy losses in their ranks.
Following the failed offensive against Mogadishu, the tactical alliance between Al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam fell apart. Prominent members of Al-Shabaab blamed Hizbul Islam for the failed assault. On 1 October, members of the Hizbul Islam alliance clashed with Al-Shabaab in the southern strategic port town of Kismayo, in spite of efforts to avoid it on behalf of Hizbul Islam's senior leadership. Since government forces had been expelled from Kismayo, the town had been governed by a tenuous alliance of opposition forces, all aiming to benefit from the port revenues that the town generated.
The clashes in Kismayo, which led to a considerable number of deaths, left Al-Shabaab in control of Kismayo. The clashes were followed by several other attacks in the area, expelling Hizbul Islam from for example Afmadow and Dobley, in the Lower Jubba Valley. While local commanders will sometimes collaborate in clashes against common enemies, namely Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca, Al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam have not been able to repair their relationship.
The non-state conflict between Al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam is first included in 2009. On 1 October of that year violent clashes flared up in the southern town Kismayo, resulting in over 25 battle-related deaths.
