By Tony Ademiluyi
Historical Overview of the Al-Shabaab
The Harakat Shabaab Al-Mujahidin also known as Al-Shabaab was the militant wing of the Somali Council of Islamic Courts that took over most of Southern Somalia in the second half of 2006. The Al-Shabaab was defeated by the joint forces of Somalia and Ethiopia in 2007.
Despite the defeat, they have continued violent insurgency activities in Southern and Central Somalia. It uses guerilla and terrorist tactics against the government. Its leadership experiences frequent infighting and is decentralised in its outlook with many of the fighters coming from disparate clans. It was publicly announced by the group’s senior leaders in February 2012 that it was affiliated with Al-Qaeda.
Latest Attack in Mogadishu by the Al-Shabaab
On August 2, at least 32 people were killed and many more wounded in a suicide bombing and gun attack on the popular Lido beach in Somalia’s Capital, Mogadishu. The Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack via a radio broadcast.
According to an Al Jazeera report, the assault began when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of Beach View Hotel. Several other attackers tried to storm the hotel and also fired on people on the beach, where many residents were walking or sitting, according to witnesses and police.
The Al-Shabaab has been fighting to overthrow the central government in Mogadishu for the past seventeen years, carrying out many bombings in the country’s capital and numerous parts of the country.
As it stands in Somalia now
The central government depends on foreign troops to maintain its stranglehold on power. It has also joined forces with a local armed group to fight the group in a campaign supported by an African Union Force and United States of America air raids.
In June this year, Somalia called for the slowing down of the withdrawal of an African peace keeping mission that is expected to pull out by December 31, 2024.
The conflict between the government and Al-Shabaab has continued with both sides committing severe human rights violations. Insecurity, floods, drought, and food security is now the lot of many in the country that has hardly known any peace. There has been a displacement of about 2.9 million Somalis and the country is in dire humanitarian crisis.
More than half of the population is water insecure, while 4.6 million people need shelter and non-food items. Somalia ranks last place in the Global Health Security Index with eighty percent of the households lacking a hand washing facility.
How can the Al-Shabaab be defeated?
The presence of the Al-Shabaab has prevented nation building in Somalia and is greatly threatening the peace in not only that country but in the entire East Africa. It has prevented state building projects in Somalia and made life a living hell for the people pushing them into further poverty and misery.
Taking the fight all out to the group both by local and foreign groups has so far proved ineffectual. I advise the use of soft power to permanently defeat the group. The direct dialogue with the group’s leaders and dissidents could become essential in exposing the group’s plans and dismantling its structure.
The soft power approach will give Somalia time to rebuild its battered national army especially in lieu of the exit of the African Union forces at the end of 2024. Taking advantage of the hostility between Al-Shabaab and the ethnic militias, Somalia could marshal out a national strategy to mobilise all available resources against extremism.
Somalia could coordinate with regional and international partners to completely cut off the sinister group’s funding as well as pay closer attention to and tackle challenges such as youth unemployment, ignorance, and poverty that push many Somalian youths into embracing extremism.
* Tony Ademiluyi is an independent writer and analyst.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.