The new Somali government gained increasing international diplomatic recognition during 2013, and also continued efforts to gain control over the diverse nation. Military operations against al-Shabaab militants continued, with implications elsewhere in the region, including the attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi in September (see Kenya section). In November 2013, the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was extended for another year. Despite calls by the government and international allies for inclusiveness and respect for diversity, there were reports of localized conflicts leading to evictions of minority communities from their lands, particularly in Middle and Lower Shabelle regions.

The continuing weakness of the centralized government of Somalia has meant that clan-based governance and security structures remain hugely important. For minority groups such as Bantu and others, the clan system offers little protection or opportunity, and instead has led to exclusion from mainstream social and political life. Hate speech against minority communities, focused on their appearance and different customs, has enhanced their vulnerability to attacks and other forms of discrimination. In testimony given to MRG, Somali minority interviewees reported hate speech deriving from prejudice and a historical legacy of slavery. Several members of Bantu and occupational minority groups spoke of being routinely insulted with derogatory language and name-calling.

The fight against al-Shabaab also resulted in the ousting of the group from its stronghold in the port city of Kismayo, in Somalia's Jubaland. Subsequent elections and political negotiations led to the declaration of Ahmed Mohamed Islam as president of the Jubaland region. The region is home to diverse ethnic communities, including populations of Somali Bajuni, Bantu, Boni, Boran, Galjeel and several other groups. Many of these communities are sedentary farmers, in contrast to the majority nomadic pastoralist Somalis. It is not yet clear whether this federalist creation, which has divided opinion, will allow these minority groups, many of whom have long been excluded from mainstream political life in Somalia, greater recognition.

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