In accordance with EUAA COI methodology, a range of different published documentary sources have been consulted on relevant topics for this report. These include: academic publications, think tank reports, and specialised sources covering Somalia; COI reports by governments; information from civil society and NGOs; reports produced by various bodies of the United Nations; Somali and regionally-based media.
In addition to using publicly available documentary sources, multiple oral sources, including experts who had contributed to previous production on Somalia, were contacted for this report. The types of oral sources contacted include: scholars, international experts, Somali experts, development practitioners, and sources based in Somalia with reliable knowledge of the situation on the ground. Some sources who were interviewed chose to remain anonymous for security reasons. Sources were assessed for their background, publication history, reputability, and current ground-level knowledge. They were interviewed in the period February 2025 – March 2025. All oral sources are described in the Annex 1: Bibliography.
With regard to written sources of information, efforts were made to include Somali-language media sources in the research, including through the use of BBC Monitoring. Moreover, in some instances, reference was made to ‘Al-Shabaab-affiliated websites’ such as SomaliMemo or Calamada.12 Although these sources were not used excessively, sources associated with armed groups should always be assessed with caution. Efforts were made to corroborate such information or cross-check with other sources. See Annex 1: Bibliography for additional details.