Shabaab Remain Such A Destabilizing Force In Somalia And East Africa?

Al-Shabaab, Arabic for “The Youth” or “The Youngsters”, is a militant Islamist army that has fought to take over Somalia since 2006. The group’s activities have historically been limited to within the Somali state, and in recent years have lost the capital Mogadishu and much of its territory in the southern half of the country. However, the group’s high profile attacks in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia show that not only are they alive and well, but that they are changing their strategy. If al-Shabaab has lost considerable amounts of territory, why does it remain such a destabilizing force in Somalia and East Africa? This essay will argue that the Somali diaspora, changes in military and public relations strategy, ties to foreign jihadist movements,

The neighboring country of Kenya boasts a large native Somali population, as well as a large Somali refugee presence, and therefore is ground zero for al-Shabaab’s international activity. For hundreds of years ethnic Somalis have formed a majority in the area that now constitutes Kenya’s North Eastern Province. The North Eastern Province is an underdeveloped area of the country, where ethnic tensions between Somalis and Kenyan ethnic groups have defined its history (Burns). Al-Shabaab plays to these ethnic tensions, espousing a unique form of radical Islamist Somali nationalism to rally support among ethnic Somalis for its activities in the Horn of Africa (Burns). Somali refugees have a considerable presence in Kenya, especially in its capital city, Nairobi. In a slum to the east of the city center called Eastleigh, Somali immigrants and refugees live in disorganized neighborhoods characterized by abject poverty, poor service delivery, and a lack of vital institutions. Not only do these sordid conditions disillusion Eastleigh residents and other Somali refugees to the point where they find the al-Shabaab message receptive, they allow a chaotic atmosphere in which al-Shabaab cells can operate within the shadows. These cells are integral to the success of al-Shabaab’s targeted killings and terrorist attacks (Ploch, 2010). However, this is not specifically a Kenyan problem. The Somalis native to eastern Ethiopia and Djibouti, as well as refugees in Minnesota, Yemen, and other countries around the globe, still strongly identify with the nation of Somalia (Shinn, 2011). Incursions by Ethiopia, Kenya and the West have been used by al-Shabaab to convince diaspora members around the globe to fight with their Somali outfit against foreign invaders (Shinn, 2011). Radical preachers play a key role in making Eastleigh a top area for recruits, while the