The Al-Qaeda (AQ) branch in Somalia, Al-Shabaab has been fueling clashes between the different clans in Somalia.
The militant group has been exploiting their confusion and disunity and capitalizing on this weakness to recruit youths and in turn wage attacks on them, SNA and against the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) peacekeepers.
According to Col. Bonny Bamwiseki, the commander of Battle Group 22, which has its headquarters at Ceeljaale in Marka district, Al-Shabaab terrorist group hadsbeen at the helm of encouraging clans to fight and kill each other, from where they would recruit massively to fail the peace mission.
AMISOM troops have been engaging rivals clans with a mission of stopping the clan fights and reconciling them to work together, citing the common enemy, – Al-Shabaab.
Different clan chiefs have discovered that Al-Shabab’s mission of encouraging clashes and accepted have accepted to work together with AMISOM in fighting Al-Shabaab.
Clan disunity and infighting has made it difficult for the peace keepers to win against the Al-Shabaab since they would also mix with the population from where they hatch plans to attack their bases.
In trying to reach out to the locals, AMISOM has conducted several meetings with local leaders and these efforts have started bearing fruits. Locals have expressed their gratitude to the work AMISOM is doing and many have accepted to turn guns against the Al-Shabaab, fighting alongside the Somali National Army (SNA) and AMISOM forces.
