AfricaA guide to terrorist, security actors in East Africa
The continuing violence in East Africa is often attributed to Somalia’s instability, triggered by the collapse of the government more than twenty years ago, and the descent of the country into a war among war lords, tribes, and religious factions. Here is a useful guide to the main groups and organizations which operate in the region which extends from Eritrea in the north to Tanzania in the south.
The continuing violence in East Africa is often attributed to Somalia’s instability, triggered by the collapse of the government more than twenty years ago, and the descent of the country into a war among war lords, tribes, and religious factions.
USNews offers a useful guide to the main groups and organizations which operate in the region which extends from Eritrea in the north to Tanzania in the south.
Al Shabab
Al-Shabab, which translates to “The Youth,” was formed out of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), a coalition of Islamic courts operating in areas of Somalia controlled by Islamists to enforce Sharia law. The United States supported an Ethiopian invasion of Somalia in 2006 to root out the Islamists and destroy the ICU. When the Ethiopian military retreated, the remnants of the ICU formed al Shabab as an umbrella organization for Islamic militants in the Horn of Africa.
Al Shabab, which always had a strong Somali national message in addition to its Islamic ideology, enjoyed financial support from members of the Somali diaspora abroad, allowing the organization to gain control parts of Somalia, including most of southern and central Somalia and parts of Mogadishu and Kismayo, from 2007 to 2011.
In 2011, the African Union (AU) created the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and launched a broad campaign against al Shabab strongholds.
The AMISON campaign chased al Shaba out of most of the areas it had controlled. The organization went through a period of internal squabbles and infighting, and leaders and members who were not deemed radical enough were expelled or killed, and radical Moktar ali Zubeyr emerged as the new leader.
“It became much smaller but much more radical,” J. Peter Pham, the director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center and frequent adviser to Congress and the White House, told USNews.
This was also the period when al Shabab sought closer relationship with al Qaeda, and increased its recruitment efforts among Somalis who lived abroad, including the United States.
Al- Qaeda in East Africa
Al Qaeda in East Africa refers to Islamic militancy in East Africa excluding al Shabab. The group has been a financial supporter of al Shabab, and many of its founding leaders have trained with other al Qaeda-affiliated groups. One of the group’s missions is to establish an Islamic state independent of Western influence.
The reason for the group’s existence is the unease with which Osama bin Laden regarded al Shabab. Bin laden was living in Sudan until 1996, and became familiar with Somali Islamists. He was never convinced about the depth of their commitment to the Islamic cause, and regarded them more as Somali nationalists who were employing the universal language of Islam to pursue parochial Somali interests. While he was heading al Qaeda, therefore, he preferred to support the competing Al Qaeda in East Africa (the relationship between al Shabab and Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden’s successor, are much better).
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISON)
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISON) consists of thousands of Ugandan, Burundian, Kenyan soldiers, with a few hundred soldiers each from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Djibouti. The force of about 17,000 soldiers was created to protect the central Somali government from attacks by al Shabaab and to destroy the infrastructure used by extremist groups in the country. AMISON’s commanderMaj. Gen. Fred Mugisha has reiterated that AMISON’s mission is to clear Somalia of al Shabaab, not to occupy the country. “We need the support of all peace loving Somalis to help us restore peace and stability to the city (Mogadishu). We urge the civilian population to support their government and isolate and reject criminals. That way we can start to provide effective security together,” he said.
The Forces of the Federal Republic of Somalia
The Forces of the Federal Republic of Somalia is the official name of the Somali military. This is not a national military in any meaningful sense of the term. Rather, over the past three years, some warlords and clan leaders appointed themselves as members of the Somali parliament, and each made a “contribution” to the state by ordering some members of his clan or militia to join the Forces. These newly minted “soldiers,” however, are loyal to the clan leader or warlord who sent them to join the military, not to their immediate commanders or the country’s nominal government.
U.S. forces
In addition to the occasional commando raid, like the Saturday Special Forces raid in Somalia, American forces in the Horn of Africa are limited to an air base in Djibouti, support troops for AMISOM, and ship-borne Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU) which patrol the region’s seas. Col. Francis Donovan, former commander of the Marine’s 24th MEU. Told USNews that, “The ultimate goal of bringing up security forces in other countries is so they can fight so we don’t have to.”
