Somalia caught between al-Shabaab and Erdogan’s ambitions

Hossam al-Haddad

Terrorism by the Qaeda-leaning al-Shabaab movement is seeping out of Somalia and into other countries in the region, highlighting the dangers the movement poses.

On March 13, al-Shabaab killed a Somali civilian and three policemen in an attack on a medical convoy which was part of a Health Ministry campaign to spread awareness about Covid-19 preventive measures in Somali capital Mogadishu.

The African Union Mission in Somalia foiled, meanwhile, an attack on a military base in the southern Somali Lower Juba region.

According to a local journalist, some unidentified people had planted an explosive device on the side of a road in Kaaraan, southeastern Mogadishu.

The device went off as the medical convoy passed from the area.

Al-Shabaab and Somalia’s political crisis

Al-Shabaab contacts tribal chieftains in southern and central Somalia to force them to obey it. It also imposes taxes on people in the areas it controls in return for not attacking or killing them. It, however, uses force with those who refuse to pay it money.

Al-Shabaab maintained its allegiance to al-Qaeda, even after the Islamic State group (ISIS) became the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world.

In this, it bucked a general trend followed by most terrorist groups in Africa, which swore allegiance to ISIS and scrapped their loyalty to al-Qaeda.

Some members of the international community strive to help Somalia stand against al-Shabaab.

Despite repeated blows, the terrorist group is still able to stage painful attacks, even after it was kicked out of Mogadishu.

The same attacks usually leave a huge toll behind.

Erdogan’s ambitions

According to the Swedish site, Nordic Monitor, Turkey uses money, economic and military aid in supporting terrorist groups in Somalia which has been suffering unrest for a long time now.

Articles published by the website also throw light on Turkish efforts to control Somalia’s political future.