In Somalia, the president wants to attack the shebabs in the wallet

Somali President Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud, here on May 15, 2022. © AP - Farah Abdi Warsameh

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

The new Somali President Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud has entered into a crusade against the system of taxation and taxes imposed by the Shebabs, which constitutes their main source of financing.

Advertising

Read more

In Somalia, the toll of

last Saturday 's

double murderous attack has risen further to 116 dead.

It is the deadliest attack in the country for five years.

The Shebab Islamists have increased their attacks for several weeks, in reaction to the new offensive strategy of the Somali authorities who have already taken back dozens of villages in the center of the country.

But for President Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud, the war against the Shebabs should not be only military;

it must also be “

economic

”.

And for good reason.

Last April, the Somali research institute Hiraal estimated the budget of the jihadist group at 100 million dollars a year.

According to the same source, a quarter of this sum would be used to buy weapons and equipment for combat. 

►

To read also: Somalia: the new face of the fight against the Shebabs, five after the Mogadishu attack

This budget – higher than what imports bring in to the Somali authorities – would essentially come from taxes levied by force by the Shebabs from Somali settlements and traders in the areas under their control.

But not only.

Several analysts claim that a large part of this sum would come directly from commercial activities at the port of Mogadishu, officially under government control.

Unlike his predecessor, the new president recognizes this phenomenon and says he is determined to tackle this economic empire.

He regularly addresses traders to urge them to refuse to pay these taxes.

Several studies also show that the Shebabs use the translational banking system and mobile payment operators to transfer their funds, taking advantage of the weakness of the regulatory system.

Omar Mahmoud, Somalia researcher at the International Crisis Group

Florence Morice

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

  • Hassan Sheikh Mohamud

  • Somalia

  • Shebabs