Al-Shabab: On international terrorism lists: Kenyan suffering and Somali maneuvering

Ahmed Adel

Somalia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Abu Bakr Mohamed Osman, on Sunday (August 25, 2019) said that his country strongly opposes Kenya’s draft resolution on the inclusion of al-Qaeda-linked movement in the international terrorism lists.

Resolution 1267 would affect the provision of humanitarian assistance to those affected in areas under the control of al-Shabaab in the event of a humanitarian disaster, the ambassador said.

The decision came more than a week after the Somali cabinet discussed in a meeting in the capital Mogadishu the possible effects of the decision to designate al Shabaab a terrorist organization on humanitarian work and the economy of the country.

Previous demands

Amidst the growing fear and anxiety of the Kenyan government about the terror of the Somali youth movement, Nairobi called on the international community to intensify the war on terrorist organizations and urged the speedy inclusion of al-Shabaab on the list of terrorist organizations under UN Security Council Resolution 1267.

Last week, the Kenyan government submitted a request to the UN Security Council to include al-Shabaab in its international terrorism list.

Monica Jomo, the foreign minister said that the terrorist attack launched by the movement on the city of Kismayo, Somali is another reminder to the international community of the need to be included in the list of terrorist groups.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta admitted in an interview with Fox News that his country was unable to stop Al Shabaab attacks on Nairobi.

Kenya has suffered in the past years from the movement’s terrorism, perhaps the most prominent operations in January 2018. It announced the destruction of military vehicles belonging to Kenyan forces, that caused the deaths of more than 20 soldiers.

Experts attribute the main reason for the increase in terrorist operations by Al-Shabab to the fact that the armed movement believes that Kenyan forces are interfering in the affairs of Somalia.

During the last seven years, Al-Shabaab has not hesitated to try to take control of the strategic border area of ​​Fahfhadun, which has always witnessed military confrontations between the militants and the Kenyan army.

Al Shabaab has sought to overthrow the Somali federal central government, although it was expelled from the capital Mogadishu in 2011, and from most of its control areas across the country, and since its expulsion it has adopted suicide attacks targeting government and security headquarters in the country.