Thursday March 21, 2024
by FELIX KIPKEMOI
The Somali-based terror group was responsible for 70 deaths in Kenya in the year.
A policeman runs past burning cars at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya Jan. 15, 2019 .Image: Reuters/Baz Ratner
There was a significant drop in the number of terrorism deaths attributed to al-Shabaab in 2023, a new report has revealed.
The Global Terrorism Index 2024 shows that there were only 499 deaths reported in 2023 from a high of 800 in 2022, a decline of 38 per cent.
Out of the 499 deaths, 86 per cent happened in Somalia while the remaining 14 per cent occurred in Kenya, the report by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) states.
The Somali-based terror group was responsible for 70 deaths in Kenya in the year 2023, the most since 2019.
“This is the ninth consecutive year that the group has been responsible for more than 400 deaths from terrorism and more than 100 attacks in a given year,” it states.
Most deaths reported during the year are said to have occurred in Lamu which is close to the Somali border.
At least 26 deaths were recorded which is an increase of 10 from the previous year.
Garissa and Mandera counties followed both accounting for 37 deaths.
“Both of the deadliest attacks involved roadside bombings, one targeting soldiers in Lamu and the other targeting police in Garissa. 10 people were killed in each attack with the group claiming responsibility for the attacks,” it reads.
The report notes that government-led counterterrorism operations in Somalia have led to a surge of Al-Shabaab militants crossing into Kenya, compounded by a lack of law enforcement personnel along the border.
Changes to Kenya's security leadership have also exacerbated the situation, leading to a security gap that militants are exploiting to conduct attacks.
Al-Shabaab is a Salafist militant group active in the East African region and first emerged in a battle over Somalia’s capital in the summer of 2006.
As an Al Qaeda affiliate based in Somalia and Kenya, the group pursues Islamist statehood aspirations in Somalia.
It was estimated to have between 7,000 and 9,000 fighters in 2019.
The group is one of the four terrorist groups that include Islamic State (IS), Hamas, Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) responsible for the most deaths during the year.
“These four groups combined were responsible for 4,443 terrorism deaths, or over 75 per cent of deaths that were attributed to a specific group,” the report explains.
It gained global recognition following several deadly attacks concentrated around the capital city of Mogadishu, as well as attacks in the neighboring states of Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda in the 2000s.
Deaths in Somalia are said to have reduced by almost half in 2023 something attributed to the success of the Somali government and allied forces’ operations.
The number of countries that experienced at least one terrorist attack also fell from 60 in 2022 to 50 in 2023.