The worst drought in decades and food shortages triggered by Russia’s war against Ukraine have given Somalia’s al-Shabaab Islamist militants a recruitment opportunity, The group has been trying to topple the government in the Horn of Africa country and install its version of Islamic law since 2006…
While politicians squabble over a long-delayed presidential election, the Somalian government is struggling to provide services and 40% of its people face hunger. Russia and Ukraine supplied more than 90% of the country’s wheat imports and those have come to a halt.
The dire situation makes it easier for al-Shabaab to recruit new members among people with little or no access to any form of government help. The militants seized the opportunity and distributed cooking oil, rice, sugar in communities in some of the worst-affected regions.
With no end in sight of the war in Europe and a drought that the United Nations has linked to climate change, the quid pro quo for the aid is that more Somali youths may be pressured into joining the group. It heightens the risk of insecurity not only in Somalia, but in other countries like Kenya and Uganda where the militants have killed hundreds of innocent civilians in raids on restaurants, schools and shopping malls.
Al-Shabaab is “able to recruit people who are experiencing economic hardship, these situations make it easier,” said Zaynab Mohamed, an analyst at Oxford Economics Africa.
The Somali government will have to show up with food for the hungry, medicine for the sick and security for the all its people if it’s serious about fighting al-Shabaab.
Source: Bloomberg
