'We will go wherever they hide': Rooting out IS in Somalia

Somalia's ongoing struggle against Islamic State (IS) affiliates represents one of Africa's most complex security challenges, with significant implications for regional stability and foreign investment. As militant networks have been displaced from traditional strongholds in the Middle East, East Africa has emerged as a critical operational theater, with Somalia serving as a crucial hub for reorganization and recruitment. The Horn of Africa nation has become increasingly attractive to IS operatives seeking to establish alternative power bases. The group's migration eastward reflects a strategic shift in global jihadi networks, where fragmented cells prioritize territorial control and revenue generation over the ambitious state-building projects that characterized their earlier campaigns. Somalia's porous borders, weak central authority in peripheral regions, and existing ungoverned spaces have created conditions conducive to militant entrenchment. For European investors and businesses operating across East Africa, this security dynamic presents multifaceted challenges. Infrastructure projects, particularly in telecommunications, logistics, and energy sectors, face heightened risks from both direct attacks and the resulting security responses that can create operational disruptions. The presence of IS-affiliated groups has prompted increased military interventions from neighboring countries and international partners, reshaping the security architecture across the region and affecting freedom of movement and commercial activities. Somalia's