2018–2022
Hiraal Institute
A Somali security-research institute that built specialised expertise in armed groups, counter-terrorism, security-sector reform and conflict dynamics. It is now defunct and has been succeeded by Saldhig Institute.
Hiraal Archive
Foundational research
This archive preserves the public research record of Hiraal Institute, whose work established specialised Somali expertise in security research, armed group finance, counterterrorism and conflict dynamics.
2018
2022
Hiraal Institute (2018–2022) is now defunct. Saldhig Institute continues and institutionalises that research tradition. Where permitted, the archive will also include brief descriptions of major confidential projects — client type, question, method and year — without sources or findings.
Full archive entries will be published as documents are cleared. The notes below are drawn from the public record on saldhig.org and from later Saldhig publications that cite Hiraal’s work.
Founder
Hussein Sheikh-Ali
Founder and former Executive Chairman of Hiraal Institute. He is Executive Chairman of Saldhig Institute.
2021
Yemen as an operational base
Later Saldhig publications cite Hiraal’s 2021 finding that Yemen served as an operational base for Al-Shabaab.
2020
Al-Shabaab and mobile money
Later Saldhig publications cite Hiraal’s 2020 research on Al-Shabaab’s use of mobile money.
Archive entries to follow
Individual Hiraal titles, PDFs and permitted confidential-project notes will be added here once they have been verified and cleared for publication.
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