Again terrorism in Somalia has dominated the headlines and the perpetrators are measuring their success. Wars are measured in body counts and psychological effect. Over 32 people were killed over the weekend in Kismayo, a port city South of Somalia in what now is a drumbeat of terror, slowly increasing, rooted in Somalia’s large Islamic population. The Somali terrorist group Shabaab Mujahideen issued a statement claiming it carried out the mass casualty attack that has left both public and the political class furious if not perturbed. Both public and sections of the political class claim the Kismayo terror attack was state sponsored, a grave concern and outcome. S.I has reviewed this psychological effect and traced its roots to provide context.
The survivors of the Kismayo terror attack in Somalia, particularly the politicians continue to comment on the attack, terming it a state sponsored attack and linking the Somali Prime Minster Hassan Khaire and President Mohamed Farmaajo to the attack. The basis of these claims include evidence of engagement between the FGS and Shabaab Mujahideen leadership besides enlistment and conscription of active members of the terrorist group in the National Intelligence and Security Agency NISA.
Both Fahad Yasiin and Zakariye Ismail are covertly active members of the Al-Qaeda branch in Somalia yet they serve as top directors of the National Intelligence and Security Agency NISA. Farmaajo and Khaire will have to blame themselves for the backlash. Privately, elements within the Shabaab Mujahideen terrorist organization leadership are in regular contact facilitated by Fahad Yasiin and Zakariye Ismail. The elements continue to receive money as inducements to orchestrate splintering of the Shura council and sharing intelligence on their organization. Worse, exploiting the organization on behalf of FGS. When you put all that together, all you see is political belligerency. FGS is trying to exploit Shabaab Mujahideen covertly to entrench some sort of political ideology.
Harakat Shabaab Mujahideen remains unfazed by the events. It is cracking down on dissenters and spies killing them in droves. It has also shifted focus to clan elders who it accuses of being puppets of the Federal Government in Mogadishu. It wants all of them registered at nearest administration centers, a bold outbidding strategy. If the group succeeds in clamping down on the clan elders and shunt their participation in political elections and related electoral processes, it’ll be a blow to FGS. It’ll not have political influence at the grassroots level and that means it cannot manipulate political outcomes.
