Somalia: Pro-IS Fighters Exploit Clan Loyalties
| Publisher | Jamestown Foundation |
| Author | Alexander Sehmer |
| Publication Date | 1 December 2016 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 23 |
| Cite as | Jamestown Foundation, Somalia: Pro-IS Fighters Exploit Clan Loyalties, 1 December 2016, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 23, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5840809c4.html [accessed 22 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
Islamic State-linked (IS) militants took over the port town of Qandala in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region early on October 26, apparently facing little resistance (Shabelle News, October 26). Qandala is a strategic target, a hub for smuggled weapons brought into Somalia from the Yemeni port of Mukalla. The fighters, possibly anticipating a strong response from the authorities, appear to have partially retreated the following day (Garowe, October 27). Whether temporary or not, the advance is significant as it marks the first time the IS faction has made any sizeable territorial gains in Somalia.
The group is led by Sheikh Abdulkadir Mumin, a Somali-born British jihadist who preached at mosques in London before returning to Somali in 2010 to fight with al-Shaabab. He split with the al-Qaeda-linked group in 2015, swearing allegiance to IS leader Abubakr al-Baghdadi and causing ructions within al-Shabaab, which subsequently tried to stamp out the breakaway group (Garowe, December 24, 2015).
Mumin's faction has since been able to make ground by taking advantage of a political dispute in Bari, the Puntland province were Qandala is located.
In May last year, Abdisamad Mohamed Gallan, Bari's then governor, was sacked by President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali (Horseed Media, May 27, 2015). Since then Gallan, a member of the Ali Salebaan clan, has launched his own small insurgency, leading his supporters in clashes with government forces (Hiiraan, June 23). According to the UN Monitoring Group report on Somalia, Gallan is backed by Mumin, also a member of Ali Salebaan clan (United Nations, October 31).
The report links both men to fellow clan-member Isse Mohamoud Yusuf, an arms dealer known as "Yullux" who plies the Mukulla-Qandala smuggling route.
The Ali Salebaan have long felt marginalized by the Puntland government, and Qandala falls within their heartland. Access to the port - which the pro-IS faction has effectively demonstrated - potentially gives Mumin access to greater resources, while clan connections afford him some protection and Puntland's government remains distracted by Gallan's insurgency.
The move on Qandala is also something of a propaganda victory for Mumin, whose group remains relatively small in the grand scheme. Rivals al-Shabaab remain by far a greater threat in East Africa (see Terrorism Monitor, December 1), and Mumin's faction has yet to win any public endorsement from al-Baghdadi. Nonetheless, that may come. As long as Gallan's insurgency remains uncontained, Mumin's faction will likely have greater room to maneuver. More territorial gains by his group - and propaganda victories - can be expected.
