Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Impact of Makaburi death on radicalism in Kenya as yet unclear

At the time of his assassination, Kenyan Islamist cleric Abubakar Shariff Ahmed was revered as an important figurehead among extremist circles, sparking concerns that his death could derail dialogue efforts rather than stem youth radicalism in the Coast region.

Although Ahmed, known as Makaburi, had become al-Shabaab's "poster boy" in Kenya, his death should not be celebrated, said Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa.
He said Makaburi's death would demoralise al-Shabaab members in the long-term if a charismatic replacement is not found, but his elimination itself is not an end to radicalism and violence in the short-term.
"Makaburi was part of the dialogue we have been holding with religious leaders, youths, [civil society] and the larger community," Marwa told Sabahi. "I am not certain how sincerely he was committed to the cause of dialogue, but it may derail a little."
Suspicions that the government may have been involved in his killing could also further undermine the government's peace efforts in the Coast region, he said.
"But in the long term, [his followers] will be demoralised without a figure to look up to for inspiration and rhetoric," he added.
To restore public trust and contain the escalation of violence, the government will continue with community dialogue, he said.
Makaburi, who was killed April 1st by unidentified gunmen outside Shanzu Law Courts in Mombasa, was a controversial figure associated with Masjid Shuhadaa (formerly Masjid Mussa) in Mombasa, and was on international sanctions lists for supporting terrorist groups.
He was a close ally of radical Islamist Aboud Rogo Mohammed, who was assassinated in August 2012 in a drive-by shooting. Rogo's successor Sheikh Ibrahim Ismail and three of his companions were also assassinated in a drive-by shooting in October 2013, sparking riots in Mombasa.
While Makaburi was not seen as a direct replacement for Rogo and Ismail, after their deaths he had become a more visible leader among radicals in Kenya.
In all three cases, police have not apprehended any suspects and the deaths have gone unpunished.
Marwa said investigations were ongoing to establish who was behind the killings, denying claims that the government was involved.
"It is not the business of the government to eliminate suspects," he said. "We were not involved in the previous killings and I strongly believe that we are not involved in Makaburi's death."

Makaburi's increasing radicalism over time

Director of the Kenya Police Reserve and Community Policing Aggrey Adoli, who served as Coast region police chief until February, said Makaburi did not possess the oratory prowess and charisma of Rogo but had become bolder after Rogo's death.
Before Rogo's death, Makaburi was viewed as withdrawn, soft spoken and too shy to be considered a natural replacement, Adoli told Sabahi.
"Rogo's fiery and confrontational style of delivering speeches, sermons and lectures is in sharp contrast to the calm and collected nature of Makaburi," he said. "But in both delivery and conduct they both had ability to poison and radicalise the youths."
By the time of his death, supporters saw Makaburi's character as humble and non-confrontational as a virtue to spread radicalism, Adoli said.
Makaburi was also respected by jihadists because of his ties to al-Qaeda in Yemen, as he reportedly travelled there frequently and lived there between 1980 and 1995.
"What is certain is that on his return he had developed strange views at a time when radicalism was still a strange phenomenon in Kenya," he said.
"If you compare the two of them, Makaburi had closer ties to Yemen where he mingled with al-Qaeda operatives and also trained in various guns," said Adoli, underscoring how essential Makaburi was to extremist networks in Mombasa even while Rogo was alive.
"When we were investigating his activities around 2010 Makaburi operated discreetly," he said, adding that authorities could not gather enough evidence at that time to prosecute him.
By 2012, when police connected him to al-Shabaab's recruitment drives in Kenya, Adoli said they noticed his modus operandi had changed.
After Rogo's death, Makaburi shifted from his behind-the-scenes activities to taking a more visible leadership role and being more vocal and open about his views.
Makaburi cleared any doubts about his allegiance to al-Shabaab when he described the Westgate shopping mall attack in Nairobi as "100-percent justified".
"We were a bit surprised that he was now supporting violence openly, even in the media," Adoli said describing the shift in Makaburi's behaviour.
"There are four or six other individuals we were pursuing in the war on terror, but no one can replace him in the near future," he said. "Makaburi was our main man and his death, regardless how he met it, is a positive step on war on terror."

Killing clerics could radicalise moderate youth

Security analyst and retired Kenyan army Colonel Daud Sheikh Ahmed also said it will be difficult to replace Makaburi's influence and connections in the near future.
"In a way, Makaburi took over from where Rogo left off," Ahmed told Sabahi.
"[With the belief] that he was a marked man and would be killed anyway, Makaburi came out [in the] open," he said. "Even al-Shabaab in Somalia does not operate as openly as Makaburi did. That set him apart and provided potential radicals with a point-man."
Therefore, Makaburi's death is a significant blow to radicalism and the general image of al-Shabaab, Ahmed said, adding that the group will find it difficult to find another notable Kenyan to represent them.
"Through Makaburi, al-Shabaab had wanted to shrug off claims that the group is only [made of] Somalis and fighting for Somalia," he said.
The boldness of Makaburi's speeches in the last few years was exactly what won him the support of Rogo followers and other likeminded people.
Nevertheless, Mombasa County Senator Hassan Omar Hassan warned that if the state was found to be behind the killings of Rogo, Ismail and Makaburi, it could inadvertently fuel al-Shabaab rhetoric and recruitment.
"Those being killed may openly support al-Shabaab or other terror outfits, but killing them instead of arresting them and prosecuting them could be motivation enough to attract even Muslim moderates who have been against violence meted out by al-Shabaab," Hassan told Sabahi.
"These killings are giving us leaders a hard time to prevail upon our people [and ensure that they] maintain calm and respect rules of the country," he said. "We maintain that dialogue is the solution to this violent standoff. It may take more time than the government expects but these extrajudicial killings are scuttling dialogue effort." via sabahionline

No comments:

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

About Us

The Foundation is dedicated to networking like-minded Somalis opposed to the terrorist insurgency that is plaguing our beloved homeland and informing the international public at large about what is really happening throughout the Horn of Africa region.

Blog Archive

We Are Winning the War on Terrorism in Horn of Africa

The threat is from violent extremists who are a small minority of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims, the threat is real. They distort Islam. They kill man, woman and child; Christian and Hindu, Jew and Muslim. They seek to create a repressive caliphate. To defeat this enemy, we must understand who we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for.

Terror Free Somalia Foundation