Press Release
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Today, Monday, January 2, 2023, The Forum for Development and Human Rights Dialogue (FDHRD) issues its report on the terrorism of the Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen Movement and the dream of caliphate in Africa. From presenting itself as an extremist organization not only in Somalia but also in Africa, it has worked to organize itself as a global jihadist movement in the Horn of Africa and enjoys regional and international attention.
Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen Movement has taken control of more than a fifth of Somali territory and has adopted a set of methods to make more money, which enabled it to arm itself and carry out its terrorist operations.
Al-Shabab has launched terrorist attacks, whether inside Somali territory or inside neighboring countries, in widespread violations of human rights stipulated in international conventions and covenants.
This report deals with the definition of the Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen Movement, its emergence, the areas it controls, its methods of financing, and the position of the international community towards it. There is also a demonstration of the operations launched by the movement, including against civilians, by explaining its destruction of facilities, buildings, and wells, and supporting that with a series of kidnappings, killings, assassinations, and executions of civilians. It demonstrates the operations launched by the movement against the peacekeeping base of the African Union and the Somali military bases, cases of killing and assassination of soldiers, and the operations it launched inside the Kenyan territory.
The report indicated that the Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen Movement is the largest of the groups loyal to Al-Qaeda, in addition to its military strength and funding sources that exceed the Somali government. This pushes it to carry out military actions, whether inside Somalian, Ethiopian, or Kenyan lands.
Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen Movement is waging a multi-pronged war, whether it is against the Somali government, or against the countries that supported this government in its war against it.
The movement’s monthly financial resources amount to 15 million dollars, which enables it to arm itself and carry out its terrorist operations.
Eritrea is considered a strategic depth for the movement because most of the movement’s fighters receive their training on Eritrean soil. The ease of movement between African capitals led to the strengthening of the movement. The movement has a relation with Boko Haram in Nigeria and other extremist organizations.
Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen Movement believes that Africa is the most suitable continent for establishing the dream of an Islamic caliphate. This made it more active in the recent period with the announcement of their intentions to establish an Islamic state.
The report concluded with the following recommendations:
- Rehabilitating and training the Somali national forces by the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) in order to confront terrorist elements, especially the Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen
- Supporting the AMISOM financially to carry out its tasks in the best way, due to its weak financial resources.
- Imposing UN sanctions on countries and individuals who supply the Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen Movement with weapons that enable them to continue fighting.
- Stopping the sources of financial funding for the movement to weaken it and possibly controlling it.
- Securing the borders well to prevent the terrorists from infiltrating the borders, receiving training in neighboring countries, or linking up with other terrorist organizations.
- Providing international support to the Somali government in order to confront the Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen Movement, especially in light of the malnutrition and drought in Somalia.
- Establishing international means to protect civilians as a result of the violations committed by Al-Shabab.
- Encouraging cooperation and union between the government, the army and the people to eliminate terrorist groups.
For his part, Saeed Abdel Hafez, Chairman of the FDHRD, stressed that international efforts to confront the Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen Movement are modest. This in turn poses a great threat to the security of the region and even to the entire world unless this movement and other terrorist movements are confronted. He called for intensifying international cooperation to exchange experiences and best practices in eradicating the roots of terrorism, stopping financing terrorist groups and supplying them with weapons, and ending support to media platforms that incite hatred and violence in violation of international law and the UN Charter.
