Al-Shabaab, an Islamist militant group affiliated to Al-Qaeda, has been active in the East Africa region for more than a decade, with a primary focus on Somalia and Kenya. The group emerged in 2006 as the military wing of the Islamic Courts Union, which briefly controlled much of southern Somalia before being ousted by Ethiopian forces. Since then, Al-Shabaab has waged a campaign of violence, including suicide bombings, assassinations, and guerilla attacks, in an effort to overthrow the Somali government and establish an Islamic state/caliphate…
Despite military efforts by the Somali government and its international partners, including the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) and the United States, Al-Shabaab has proven resilient and adaptable, shifting tactics in response to changing circumstances. The group has also taken advantage of political instability, corruption, and poverty in Somalia to entrench itself in local communities, where it provides services and enforces its own brand of justice.
In addition to its activities in Somalia, Al-Shabaab has also carried out attacks in neighboring Kenya, targeting civilians, government officials, and foreign nationals. These sporadic attacks have been witnessed in border prefectures of Kenya and Somalia. (Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and Lamu).
In the past two weeks of February 2023, at least 37 attacks were report for Kenya and Somalia. Notably, Al-Shabaab continue to target security forces, their bases as well as government officials in Somalia, with an average of about three attacks on daily basis. Low scale attacks continue to be witnessed in Kenyan counties bordering Somalia. Also, threat of a terror attack in Kenyan cities is high and foreign Embassies (US and UK) have flagged high traffic areas frequented by foreigners and tourists in Nairobi and elsewhere in Kenya as target for the terror groups.
