Terrorists use food as a weapon: how Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab exploit hunger: Women receive food aid in Somalia. Terrorism creates food disruptions, undermining production systems and supply routes. Tobin Jones/Wikimedia Commons Over the last decade, there has been growing international focus on the role of food in conflict, particularly in Africa. The continent has …
Will al-Shabaab get stronger in Ethiopia? Two reasons why it’s unlikely – analyst: There have been numerous reports of arrests of al-Shabaab insurgents, the dismantling of an al-Shabaab terrorist network and interception of arms in Ethiopia in 2024. Reports have also suggested that al-Shabaab is seeking to establish “an active combat presence” in the Bale …
Al-Shabaab attacks in Somalia affect communities as far as 900km away – aid agencies need to take note: A soldier stands guard at a makeshift camp in Somalia's Baidoa, a southwestern town frequently attacked by Al-Shabaab militants. Shutterstock Policymakers tend to assume that the effects of conflict are felt only where violence occurs. As a …
Al-Shabaab is just a symptom of Somalia’s tragedy – the causes are still in place: Abdurashid Abdulle Abikar/AFP via GettyImages For at least 14 years now, the militant group Al-Shabaab has terrorised the southern region of Somalia. Its ambition is to impose a tyrannical dictatorship over the entire country through fear and brutality. To achieve …
Al-Shabaab: sensational media reports about Kenyan terror attacks keep kids out of school: Pupils in Kenya hold prayers for victims of a 2013 terror attack in Nairobi. Joseph Kanyi/Nation Media/Gallo Images/Getty Images Sensational reporting on terror attacks in Kenya is keeping children out of school, with dire consequences for their education and their futures. That …
Al-Shabaab in Somalia has resisted military force: now is the time for a new strategy: A Somali soldier looks out from a military base where a US special operations soldier was killed by a mortar attack south of Mogadishu in 2018. Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP via Getty Images In October 2022, Somalia’s capital Mogadishu suffered yet another …
What drives Al-Shabaab in Somalia: foreign forces out, Sharia law in and overthrow the government: The Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu where a 30-hour Al-Shabaab siege left 21 people dead in August 2022. Hassan Elmi/AFP via Getty Images In response to external – and at times internal – pressure, Al-Shabaab’s insurgency in Somalia has evolved over …
Al-Shabaab: why women join the Islamist militant group – podcast: Lamu in coastal Kenya is an area where women and girls have been recuited by Al-Shabaab. Eric Lafforgue/Alamy Stock Photo The Conversation Weekly podcast is taking a short break in August. For the next few weeks, we’ll be bringing you extended versions of some of …
Why we did it: the Kenyan women and girls who joined Al-Shabaab: Muslim women and children in Lamu in north east Kenya. Al-Shabaab's recruitment of female members is most evident in coastal and north eastern counties. Photo by Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images The direct involvement of women and girls in …
Why Somali clan elders could hold the key to opening dialogue with Al-Shabaab: Ali Mohamed Gedi (left), then Somali prime minister, speaks during a meeting with clan elders to discuss the surrender of weapons from the Mogadishu community in 2006. Peter Delarue/AFP via Getty Images The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab insurgent group and the Somali government have …
Public outrage deters Al-Shabaab more than counter-terror efforts. Here’s why: Hundreds gather for prayer at the scene of a massive truck bomb attack in Mogadishu in October 2017, the deadliest to hit conflict-torn Somalia. In September 2014, a US drone strike killed Al-Shabaab’s most influential leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane. The immediate assumption was that Godane’s …
Why al-Shabaab targets Kenya, and what can be done to stop attacks: Al-Shabaab’s first attack on Kenyan soil was in 2008. Since then the Kenyan government has responded with force. United Nations Photo/Flickr Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the terror attack in Nairobi in which scores of people were killed and injured. The question the …