Kenya: On Alert as al-Shabaab Factions Clash
| Publisher | Jamestown Foundation |
| Author | Alexander Sehmer |
| Publication Date | 5 May 2017 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | Terrorism Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 9 |
| Cite as | Jamestown Foundation, Kenya: On Alert as al-Shabaab Factions Clash, 5 May 2017, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 9, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/591578274.html [accessed 29 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Link to original story on Jamestown website
Kenyan security forces are on alert following reports of bloody clashes between al-Shabaab factions, which are said to have pushed fleeing militants across the border.
The fighting is thought to have been prompted by the group's execution of two high-ranking commanders who had sworn allegiance to Islamic State (IS). Kenyan security forces are also said to have intercepted an audio message from another al-Shabaab militant criticizing the executions, pledging allegiance to IS and calling on other fighters to do the same (Daily Nation, April 23). Reports say the recording urged recruits to join a new group called "Dini ya Kiislamu Super Power" (DKSP).
Al-Shabaab's leadership takes a hard line on dissent. At the end of 2015, it ordered a ruthless crackdown on the pro-IS faction led by Abdulkadir Mumin, sending fighters to the Bari region in northeastern Somalia to hunt down members of the jihadist's group (Garowe Online, December 24, 2015).
Mumin's faction remains relatively feeble. It reported a fleeting and largely symbolic victory in the coastal town of Qandala in Puntland last year, but poses little threat to al-Shabaab overall (Garowe Online, October 26, 2016). Since DKSP appears to also be led Mumin, the recent executions suggest only that his small band of followers has gained a little more traction, rather than indicating that a new divide is opening up within al-Shabaab.
Nonetheless, al-Shabaab is wary. In April 2016, a group calling itself Jabha East Africa — also thought to be linked to Mumin — criticized its "stubborn" and "confused" al-Shabaab "brothers" for being unwilling to accept the IS caliphate (Tuko, April 8, 2016). Since then, however, Jabha East Africa has had no impact on the region's jihadist landscape, and DKSP will likely go the same way.
While al-Shabaab's intolerance of fighters who lean toward IS is not new, the killings do seem to indicate that there are rising tensions within the group. Recent reports say the group executed at least six Kenyan recruits last month, accusing them of being government spies (Daily Nation, May 1; Tuko, May 2). The Kenyans were said to be from Lamu county on the northern coast, an area scarred by al-Shabaab violence.
While al-Shabaab turns on its own members, African Union forces in Somalia may hope to take advantage. Kenyan warplanes have scored some successes, with a number of air strikes on an al-Shabaab bases in the southern Gedo region (Garowe Online, April 25). Officials in Lamu, meanwhile, have played up the reports of the executions in the hope they will dissuade potential recruits (Daily Star [Kenya], May 3). But any reprieve from cross-border attacks as a result of the recent inter-factional fighting is likely to be short-lived.
