Clan pays $ 108,000 in compensation for death of activists in Somalia
KUNYO-BARROW, Somalia – Over the past decade, al-Shabaab has wreaked havoc in central and southern Somalia, where it is undoubtedly in control, despite a concerted military effort to flush them out, but the group has often crafted strategies for expanding territories.
One of the main factors that make Al-Shabaab still relevant in Somalia is the fact that the group receives income either in the form of Zakat or through various fines, including ransoms, which they use among other things to pay the fighters. and buy weapons.
And last week, the group reported on one of the incidents in Kunyo-Barrow, a town in Lower Shabelle where a clan paid $ 108,000 for the deaths of two of its fighters. Class courts usually decide these issues in the community whenever deaths occur.
Through pro-group media, Al-Shabaab said Mudullod clan ex-members paid $ 54,000 for each of the Al-Shabaab fighters who were killed in 2020 in tribal fighting.
In Kunyo-Barrow alone, the US military carried out nearly ten airstrikes last year, killing senior commanders responsible for numerous deaths in the country. The US Africa Command has since withdrawn but works closely with Danab’s Special Forces.
But multiple sources say the two fighters were gunned down as they tried to negotiate a truce between two rival clan militias in Lower Shabelle. The two Al-Shabaab fighters were from the Garre clan in Lower Shebelle, Al-Shabaab-affiliated media noted.
As part of its strategy to present itself as a legitimate government, Al-Shabaab militants have often attempted to resolve local conflicts, projecting themselves as an alternative government in Somalia. Sometimes they even provide food to the hungry local community.
Al-Shabaab media on Sunday published photos of Mudullod alumni handing them money. Kunyo-Barrow is only 60 km from Barawe, a town controlled by Somali security forces and the African Union Mission in Somalia [AMISOM] mainly from the UPDF.
Elders who spoke to Al-Shabaab media said the money was in line with the verdict of the Al-Shabaab court which ruled that the clan should pay $ 108,000 in compensation for the incident. Activists generally have a masterclass respect for elders across Somalia.
According to Mudullod’s Elder Arabow, who spoke at the event on Sunday, Al-Shabaab then called on elders and businessmen in Mudullod to make the payment within one year at most. This is why the money was paid in two installments, he added.
Haji Abdullahi, a former Garre clan, said they received the money from Mudullod clan elders who honored al-Shabaab’s court ruling. Such transactions are carried out in the presence of the elders of the clan because of their status in the community.
Al-Shabaab often imposes strict measures on local clans, including imposing heavy fines for the deaths of its fighters killed by clan militias. Representatives of the clan pay the fines by collecting money from companies in exchange for their own safety and that of their families.
Two years ago, an al-Shabaab court demanded payment of $ 100,000 from a hotel in Mogadishu after its armed guards allegedly shot dead an al-Shabaab fighter who escaped government security forces Somali in Mogadishu.
Although the group remains severely degraded, it still has the capacity to carry out sporadic small to large-scale attacks in Somalia and across borders. Over the past week, militants have suffered huge losses in Middle and Lower Shabelle as a result of an operation initiated by the Somali National Army. [SNA].
AXADLETM
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