Violence Fed by Power

Everything is controlled. The people are forced to obey to unreasonable demands, and their right to live free from harm and danger is stripped away from them. (Human Rights Watch) The only salvation for the people is through a brittle, corrupt government; even foreign countries trying to help can not reach through to provide assistance. (Who are Somalia’s al-Shabab?) The terrorist group al-Shabab will persist in ensnaring the Somalian people, and its eradication will be arduous.

This group’s motive is to create an Islamic state in Somalia, and it is evident that they are willing to devote everything to achieve their goal. (Petersmann) Although al-Shabab has been pushed out of Mogadishu and many of their former territories by an African Union led military campaign, the group remains a potent threat to the Somalian people and its nearby countries. (Felter)

The creation of this terrorist organization sparked from the Ethiopian invasion in December of 2006, and this quick transformation to a radicalized al-Shabab made it the group that it is today. Many of the countries that originally encouraged the invasion are now fighting against the very force that they played a part in creating. Between 2006 and 2008, al-Shabab’s ranks raised from hundreds to thousands, and the terrorist group’s devotion to al-Qaeda were revealed. (Felter)

While the group may claim that they provide protection and safety to the Somalian people, their assertion can be invalidated with evidence that proves that they are harsh and aggressive towards the people in their control. (Petersmann). In 2011, al-Shabab rejected Western food aid that would have helped fight the drought and famine ravaging the country. (Who are Somalia’s al-Shabab?) Moreover, children are abducted to be indoctrinated to fight as soldiers, and these children as young as 8 years old are forced to give their lives up or risk losing them for freedom. The government is of no help as according to the “UN Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child”, it is legal for these underaged soldiers to participate in conflict. (Human Rights Watch) Other freedoms are taken away because al-Shabab’s strict interpretation of the sharia, that prohibits various pleasures and luxuries. The punishment for disobeying their laws can be brutal and violent. For instance, the punishment for adultery is stoning, and the punishment for stealing is hand amputation. (Felter)

In order to maintain their acquired power, al-Shabab is targeting and attacking both internal and external areas. They have been detonating cars and using vehicles to bomb locations across Somalia. In October 2017, they killed more than 500 people in a twin truck bombing, making it the highest death toll attack in the Horn of Africa. (Felter) Aside from maintaining power that they have already accumulated, the group strives to regain former territories through aggression. The terrorist organization has extended their brutality to Kenya, as in 2013, they killed 67 in a Nairobi shopping mall, and in 2015, 148 were killed at the university in the city of Garissa. (Felter)

Al-Shabab is not going unnoticed, and foreign countries are supporting Somalia. In 2017, the US conducted 30 airstrikes targeting the terrorist group, and now over 500 troops remain in the ravaged country. (Who are Somalia's al-Shabab?) Despite the corruption of the Somalian government, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed was elected president as of February, and he wants to make Somalia a democratic, federal state. With a new president and a large amount of foreign support, Somalia and its allies are working towards eliminating the control of terrorism and its violence across the country. (Petersmann)

Bibliography

Felter, Claire, et al. “Al-Shabab.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 9 Jan. 2018.

Petersmann, Sandra. “Somalia: Former Al-Shabab Militants Share Their Story.” DW.COM, 15 Oct. 2017.

“Somalia: Al-Shabab Demanding Children.” Human Rights Watch, 15 Jan. 2018.

“Who Are Somalia's Al-Shabab?” BBC News, BBC, 22 Dec. 2017.