Monday, September 30, 2013
The UN had in June warned that Al-Shabaab
remained a potent force in causing instability in the region even after
being hit by the Kenyan military.
A report by UN
Monitoring Group on Somali and Eritrea says the militia continues to
profit from illegal charcoal trade in parts of Somalia it still
controls.
The militants also continue to cash in on
illegal arms, human trafficking and protection of illegal fishing
vessels in Indian Ocean.
The report, which covers part
of early this year, could have provided Kenyan security agencies with
vital information on the group’s capabilities ahead of what security
experts have termed as a well-planned Westgate Mall attack.
At least 67 people died and 175 were injured when hooded Al-Shabaab attacked the mall a week ago.
The
report, whose investigations covered over 20 countries, cites Shebabs’
long-standing support from major Somali clans and Mogadishu-based groups
keen to destabilise the Horn of Africa.
Al-Shabaab is
also said to have cells and allies in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and
Burundi, which act as a vital link to its Somalia command.
The cells strengthen the group in staging attacks in the region and recruit youths to join the terror network.
Kenya’s
cell, the Al-Hirja, formerly the Muslim Youth Centre, is said to have
been weakened following the killing of its alleged ideological leader
Sheikh Aboud Rogo Mohammed in August last year, and disappearance of its
Amirs, Sylvester Opiyo in May 2012. However, the cell is said to be
striving to remain a credible threat to peace and security in the
region.
It is said to be strengthening its ties to
Ansar Muslim Youth Centre in Tanzania as well as Al-Shabaab affiliates
in Rwanda and Burundi, as an operational priority.