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Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab on Monday claimed responsibility for attacks on a US military base, and a convoy of Italian European Union military advisers in Somalia.

At first glance it’s the same old story of chronic instability in the country, which has been synonymous with conflict since the start of its decades-long civil war in 1991.

Against this backdrop, it’s easy to overlook efforts to restore something resembling stability, which have gained some traction in recent years.

Last December the US re-established a permanent diplomatic presence in Somalia after almost 30 years. This is part of re-engagement with the international community, including donors like the World Bank, and new partners like Qatar and Turkey – the latter having played an important role in fostering stability in recent years.

There is talk of an investment boom into its untapped hydrocarbon reserves, with oil majors Shell and ExxonMobil reportedly mulling a return this year.

The government is even trying to promote better governance, recently signing a new anti-corruption bill into law.

This is not to gloss over reality. Somalia sits at the bottom of the Corruption Perception Index, and is second only to Yemen on the Fragile States Index.

There’s a long way to go, but beyond periodic headlines about Al-Shabaab attacks, there are also signs of a different story emerging.

This report reflects the views of the author alone, not those of How we made it in Africa.

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Today’s picks

From the continent

South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa will host his Nigerian counterpart Muhammadu Buhari for a state visit starting on October 3, focused on trade and investment between Africa’s two largest economies. The visit is part of efforts to mend relations following last month’s fallout over xenophobic violence against African migrants, including Nigerians, in South Africa. More: Bloomberg

Talks aimed at resolving a two-year secessionist movement in Cameroon’s English speaking regions began in the capital Yaounde on Monday. The government has billed it as a serious effort to end the stand-off, but the main opposition group and the Ambazonian Governing Council separatist group have dismissed the process as a charade. More: Reuters

The global perspective

Oil major Total has completed the $3.9 billion acquisition of a 26.5% stake owned by Anadarko in Mozambique’s $20 billion LNG export project. This is part of an agreement to buy Anadarko’s African assets, following its agreement to be taken over by Occidental Petroleum. More: Reuters

Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya have been named as ‘rising stars’ in global trade in a new index released by Standard Chartered Bank identifying markets with the greatest potential for future trade growth. They placed first and third respectively on the 20-country index. More: Independent Online

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