Investigative Reports

Ministry of Information Spends 600,000 US Dollars to Fix a Decade Old Radio Station

According to a contract signed by the Minister of Information, Culture...

How Somalia is trying to Stifle Somaliland – US ties with an Online Troll and a pseudo-Charitable Organization

In February, June, and  August 2022, Mr. Okeke-Von Batten filed Lobby Disclosure Act...

Somalia: The Shrinking Jurisdiction of Villa Somalia

“…The calls from an unknown number had been coming for weeks, but Osman, a household-goods trader in the Somali capital’s largest market, disregarded them — until he got the text message.“Will you pick up our call? Yes or no. This is the mujahideen,” it said. The mujahideen, the Islamist militants, al-Shabab. He knew right away what they wanted: to capture him in a protection money racket that the extremist group has been expanding across Somalia for years.“My heart could barely pump blood in that moment,” said Osman, 45, a father of seven, who spoke on the condition that only his first name be used out of fear for his life. “If I don’t pay, they kill me.” (Faruk and Bearack).

Such horrific calls of intimidations and racketeering practices by Al-Shabab terrorist group are common occurrences in Somalia, especially in the capital of Mogadisho, with deadly consequences if one fails to comply or ignores their demand. Occasionally, business owners and elderlies are summoned to attend hearings or meetings in Al-Shabab controlled areas to carry specific directives or to ban them from participating in certain government activities such as electing their tribal representatives in the government.

These daily summons are communicated through media by the terrorist group with the knowledge of the federal government. The government counters the announcement by forbidding these vulnerable, under duress innocent citizens to participate in these extra judiciary activities or face the consequences of being jailed, instead of protecting them. Doomed if you do, doomed if you don’t.

 The Al-Shabab group was ones weakened, and it was losing ground before the current regime of Villa Somalia put their guards down wittingly to consolidate its power grab schemes and to prop up loyal regional leaders to secure hand picked MPs to cement his return.

This blatant neglect emboldened Al-Shabab and enabled them reclaim lost territories and expand their authorities. Al-Shabab also infiltrated government institutions and business communities by largely investing in real estate business.“ …The Shabab, the Somalia-based militant group that is Al Qaeda’s most powerful ally in Africa, is not only collecting millions of dollars in tariffs and payoffs but moving the money through local banks and even investing it in real estate and businesses, according to a new United Nations Security Council report.” (Dahir).

On the northern frontier, a once partner-Somaliland Republic found its footing after dissolving their failed union with Somalia. Currently, Somaliland intensified its efforts to secure recognition by employing smart foreign diplomacy of engagement, which brought them new friends and won them a worldwide respect.

Among their new friends, Taiwan comes to mind after they established a diplomatic relationship most recently, which was lauded around the world including the United States of America.

On the other hand, to Somalilanders a prolonged or delayed recognition is not a deal breaker.

Dahir, Abdi L. “Feared Shabab Exploit Somali Banking and Invest in Real Estate, U.N. Says.” The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia, 11 Oct. 2020,  www.nytimes.com/2020/10/11/world/africa/feared-shabab-exploit-somali-banking-and-invest-in-real-estate- un-says.html.

 Faruk, Omar, and Mark Bearack. “‘If I don’t pay, they kill me’: Al-Shabab tightens grip on Somalia with growing tax racket.” The Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/if-i-dont-pay- they-kill-me-al-shabab-tightens-its-grip-on-somalia-with- growing-tax-racket/2019/08/30/81472b38-beac-11e9- a8b0-7ed8a0d5dc5d_story.html. Accessed 14 Oct. 2020.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mohamed Adan Samatar is a Former State of Arizona Government Management and holds BSc, MS Agriculture. He can be reached adan.samatar01[@]gmail.com

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints of Somaliland Chronicle, and its staff. 

Creative Commons License

Notice: This article by Somaliland Chronicle is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Under this license, all reprints and non-commercial distribution of this work is permitted.

Latest

Breaking – United States Ambassador to Somalia Mr. Larry André to Retire

According to sources, the United States Ambassador to Somalia,...

Ministry of Information Spends 600,000 US Dollars to Fix a Decade Old Radio Station

According to a contract signed by the Minister of Information, Culture...

Guban View: The Civil Disturbances in Las-Anood, another critical battle for Somaliland freedom

For too long, the Las Anood communities waited patiently...

Stay Connected

Don't miss

Breaking – United States Ambassador to Somalia Mr. Larry André to Retire

According to sources, the United States Ambassador to Somalia,...

Ministry of Information Spends 600,000 US Dollars to Fix a Decade Old Radio Station

According to a contract signed by the Minister of Information, Culture...

Guban View: The Civil Disturbances in Las-Anood, another critical battle for Somaliland freedom

For too long, the Las Anood communities waited patiently...

Somaliland Army Ordered to Barracks to De-escalate Las Anod Crisis

Somaliland Armed Forces command announced the arrest of two...

Breaking – United States Ambassador to Somalia Mr. Larry André to Retire

According to sources, the United States Ambassador to Somalia, Mr. Larry André, is retiring in the next few months. Mr. André, who has been...

Ministry of Information Spends 600,000 US Dollars to Fix a Decade Old Radio Station

According to a contract signed by the Minister of Information, Culture and National Guidance, Mr. Saleban Ali Kore, the Ministry will pay Gorof Procurement and Logistics...

Ministry of Telecommunication and Technology Spent Tens of Thousands of Taxpayer Funds on Documents Plagiarized from the Internet

According to government records and agreements examined by the Somaliland Chronicle, The Ministry of Telecommunication and Technology has spent tens of thousands of dollars...