This is a 2014 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).

January

January 1 Hundreds of Ethiopian troops backed by armored vehicles and tanks enter Baidoa, the capital of Bay region, establishing new military bases in the city's main entrance and in a factory "to assist the Somali government to root out al-Shabab in 2014 from the entire country", according to Bay's Deputy Governor Mr. Shine Moalim Nurow. An unknown number of Ethiopian troops were already in Somalia over the past three years. In 2014, Ethiopian troops are set to join the African Union Mission (AMISOM), which is set to expand from 17,731 to 22,126 troops.See: Fresh Ethiopian troops pour in Somalia, preparing war on Al shabab, KeydMedia, 1 January 2014. Accessed on 3 Jan. 2014.See: Ethiopia deploys hundreds of troops to Somalia, Horn of Africa Human Rights Watch Committee (HornWatch), 1 January 2014. Accessed on 3 Jan. 2014. At least 11 people were killed and 17 injured in a bomb attack at the Jazeera Hotel in one of the most secure areas of Mogadishu. The first two bombs came in quick succession and were followed by gunfire from Somali security forces. The third blast took place about an hour later when a bomb went off inside a car that was being searched by the military.See: Mogadishu hotel targeted by bombs, at least 11 killed. Source: Reuters, 1 January 2014. Accessed on 2 January 2014. The attack happened less than 24 hours after warnings by Al Shabaab spokesman Abdulaziz Musab who called upon Somali citizens to avoid social areas and important government installations referring to possible attacks by the group in the New Year.See: Security heightened in Mogadishu , Mareeg.com, 1 January 2014. Accessed on 2 January 2014. It was claimed by the organisation a day later, saying that it targeted "a meeting of senior 'apostate' intelligence officials".See: Al-Shabab claims Somali hotel bombings, Al-Jazeera, 2 January 2014. Accessed on 3 Jan. 2014. The attack killed two police commanders (Mursal Showre and Abdikani Ahmed Ga’al)See: Police commanders among the dead in Mogadishu explosions, Radio Bar-Kulan, 2 januari 2014. Accessed on 3 Jan. 2014. and was publicly condemned by i.a. France, the UK, the UN Security Council and by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.See: France condemns twin attacks in Somalia that left a dozen dead, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), 2 January 2014. Accessed on 3 Jan. 2014.See: FCO Minister condemns bomb attack in Somalia, Gov.UK, 2 January 2014. Accessed on 3 Jan. 2014.See: Security Council, Ban deplore Mogadishu bombings, reaffirm resolve to help end Al-Shabaab threat, United Nations News Centre, 2 January 2014. Accessed on 3 Jan. 2014 Al Shabaab arrests between 10 and "dozens" aid workers of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Buale and Sako, the major towns in the Middle Juba region, claiming that they work as under cover intelligence for their opponents.See: , Shabelle News, 1 January 2014. Accessed on 3 Jan. 2014. Also on . As hundreds of families displaced by recent inter-clan conflicts in Middle Shabelle region have sought shelter in makeshift camps in Jowhar airport, Middle Shabelle administration officials and traditional elders call for peaceful coexistence between the various clans in the region. Middle Shabelle Governor, Abdi Jinow Alasow, calls on the inhabitants of Geedo-Berkaan (7 km northeast of Jowhar) to avoid further recurrence of inter-clan conflicts.See: Middle Shabelle officials call for peaceful coexistence in the region, Radio Bar-Kulan, 1 January 2014. Accessed on 23 Jan. 2014.

January 4 600 new recruits join Somalia's National Army after four months of military training at Dhusamareb's 21st military training base (in Galguduud region). Colonel Sulub Ahmed Dirie addressed the graduation ceremony saying the 600 were ready to defend their country from "invading terrorists".See: Hundreds of newly trained forces join Somali army, Hiiraan Online, 4 Januari 2014. Accessed on 6 Jan. 2014. In the vicinity of Buur-Hakaba (Bay region), an official from the World Health Organization is kidnapped by al-Shabaab and abducted to Dinsoor.See: Somalia: Al Shabaab militia kidnaps WHO official in Bay region , GaroweOnline, 4 January 2014. Accessed on 6 Jan. 2014.

January 6 Hundreds of families who were internally displaced by recent conflicts in Middle Shabelle region are being resettled back to their homes by the regional administration in collaboration with Jowhar district officials. More than 140 families are resettled in Sabun area, two months after they sought shelter in a makeshift camp near Jowhar airport.See: 140 families resettled in their homes in Middle Shabelle region, Radio Bar-Kulan, 7 January 2014. Accessed on 23 jan. 2014.

January 8 Al-Shabaab announces that it is banning wireless Internet in the areas of Somalia that it controls. Internet Service Providers were given 15 days to terminate their service and warned of sanctions if they did not comply. The militants elaborated that they would tolerate internet access via cable but not by satellite. The insurgent group is on Reporters Without Borders' list of "Predators of Freedom of Information", and regards internet use as a form of spying."Al-Shabaab bans Internet in areas it controls" , Reporters Without Borders, 9 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.

January 9 On January 9, the Kenyan Defense Force launched three air strikes from an F-5 jet at an al-Shabaab gathering in Gedo province. The attack was intended to kill al-Shabaab's leader, Ahmed Godane, and killed 57 militants (including 6 key commanders), wounded 120 more, and destroyed eight vehicles used by the militant group. The air strike came after AMISOM received intelligence regarding the location of Ahmed Godane, who left the meeting a mere thirty minutes before the attack.

January 10 Col. Tom Davis, a spokesman for the United States Africa Command, announces that the U.S. has established a military coordination cell in Mogadishu. The deployment came at the request of the Somali government and AMISOM, who approached Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel about the move in September 2013. According to Davis, the cell consists of a small team of advisers rather than combat troops, and also includes planners and communicators between the Somali authorities and AMISOM. It is intended to provide consultative and planning support to the allied forces in order to enhance their capacity and to promote peace and security throughout the country and wider region. The coordination cell's formation is open-ended, with rotating personnel. Members reportedly first started to arrive in October to organize their office and living spaces at the capital's main airport. According to a defense official, the unit has a staff of fewer than five personnel and became fully operational in Mogadishu by mid-December 2013. A few days later, Al Shabaab commander Sheikh Ali Jabal in a voice recording posted online vowed that the group would attack the new US Forces in Mogadishu.See: SOMALIA: Al Shabab vows to counter the U.S forces based in Mogadishu , RBC Radio Raxanreeb, 13 January 2014. Accessed on 14 jan. 2014.

January 13 Officials of the Hiran region successfully broker a peace pact between warring clans in the Defow, Kabhanley and Jerrey areas in Hiran region after three days of intense negotiations.See: Hiran officials negotiate peace agreement between warring clans, Bar Kulan (radio), 13 January 2014. Accessed on 14 Jan. 2014. Government officials in Gedo region state that seven Al Shabaab fighters have defected and surrendered to them. Two months earlier, government officials had publicly announced that any al Shabaab defector would be given a full amnesty to minimize number of Somali youth lured by the group. Since then, three to ten surrender each month, according to Col. Abbas Gurey, government military officer in Gedo.See: , AMISOM Daily Media Monitoring, 14 January 2014. Accessed on 14 jan. 2014.

January 14 Abdullahi Dalas, a well-known militant Al Shabaab officer in the Juba region, surrenders himself to the Afmadow District authorities in Lower Juba.See: Al Shabaab officer surrenders himself to Afmadow authorities, Suna Times, 14 January 2014. Accessed on 15 Jan. 2014. Fighting erupts at night after al-Shabaab launches an assault on government bases at Burane and Mahaday, two strategic towns near Jowhar, the provincial capital of Middle Shabelle region. At least 15 people are killed during the ambush attack, 6 of them Somali soldiers. Both sides exchange heavy and small firearms in the pitch combat, while reports claim that al-Shabaab destroyed Somali government military facilities in Mahaday. Before daybreak, the government troops backed by African Union forces secure the towns, and repel the al-Shabaab fighters from the area following a fierce counter-attack.

January 22 At a ceremony in Baidoa, (Bay region), 4,395 troops from the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) are integrated into the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). This ceremony follows the adoption of Security Council resolution 2124(2013) of 12 November 2013 which allows AMISOM to expand from 17,731 to 22,126 troops"Security Council Extends Mandate of African Union Mission in Somalia, Requests Increase in Troop Strength", see: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2013/sc11172.doc.htm and acceptance of Ethiopia's offer to the African Union to deploy its troops in Somalia under AMISOM. The Ethiopian troops will work alongside the Somalia National Army (SNA) in the Gedo, Bay and Bakool regions, and will be commanded by an Ethiopian sector commander who will in turn report to the AMISOM Force Commander, Lt. General Silas Ntigurirwa.See: Ethiopian Forces formally integrated into AMISOM, Press Release by the African Union Mission in Somalia, 22 January 2014. Accessed on 23 jan. 2014. The Ethiopian addition to AMISOM will free up other units to stage a long-awaited offensive on al-Shabaab bases in the far southern regions of Lower and Middle Shebelle, with Kenyan units advancing from the south, and Uganda and Burundi pressing from the north. AMISOM has remained largely still for around a year, hampered by limited troops and air power. The al-Shabaab controlled port of Baraawe, one of the last sea access routes for the extremists, is a key target for the force.See: Ethiopian troops join African force in Somalia, AFP, 22 January 2014. Accessed on 23 Jan. 2014. The local administration of Middle Shebelle region in Somalia imposes a night-time curfew in Jowhar, the regional capital. Bomb explosions and grenade attacks escalated in the town the weeks beforeSee: Local administration imposes night-time curfew on Jowhar, Radio Bar-Kulan, 22 January 2014. Accessed on 23 jan. 2014. and regional inter-clan conflicts occurred in the previous months, leading to local displacements of villagers.See: ICRC supplies aid to villages near Jowhar town, Radio Bar-Kulan, 21 January 2014. Accessed on 23 jan. 2014.See: A meeting to discuss security situation held in Jowhar, Radio Bar-Kulan, 13 January 2014. Accessed on 23 Jan. 2014. See also the entries of January 1 and 6.

January 26