Sunguta West
Sunguta West is an independent journalist based in Nairobi.
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Articles by Sunguta West
Can Somalia’s New President Finally Stop al-Shabaab?
Al-Qaeda’s Somalia-based affiliate, al-Shabaab, has suffered major setbacks in its battle against the internationally backed Somali government since 2007, when African Union troops entered the war-torn country. The militant group...
Bilal al-Sudani’s Death Weakens Islamic State Influence in Somalia
On January 26, a US Special Forces operation in the mountainous region of Puntland, Somalia eliminated Bilal al-Sudani, who was a militant trainer and financial and logistical strategist within Islamic...
The Lasting Impact of Kenyan al-Shabaab Suicide Bomber Zubayr al-Muhaajir
Zubayr al-Muhaajir is a Kenyan militant leader within the Somalia-based al-Qaeda affiliate in East Africa, al-Shabaab. On January 22, he coordinated and executed an attack along a street which housed...
A Profile of Chief al-Shabaab Financial Facilitator: Khalif Adale
Al-Shabaab commander, Khalif Adale, whose real is name is Khalif Mohammed Warsame, is one of the key financial architects of the Somalia based al-Qaeda affiliate in East Africa. In October,...
Al-Shabaab’s Attack in Ethiopia: One-off Incursion or Persistent Threat?
Al-Shabaab’s Attack in Ethiopia: One-off Incursion or Persistent Threat? Ethiopian forces in July contained and repulsed an attack conducted in the eastern part of the country by Somalia-based al-Shabaab. Fighters...
Salim Rashid Mohammed: The Kenyan Prodigy Who Became an Islamic State Fighter in Mozambique
Salim Rashid Mohammed, a former Kenyan university student who became a jihadist, is now the latest concern for security agencies in East Africa. The 27-year-old has been maturing as a...
U.S. Designation Revives Concerns Over Ikrima, the Deadly al-Shabaab Strategist
On August 6, the United States designated al-Shabaab leaders Ali Mohammed Raga, a.k.a Ali Dheere, and Abdikadir Mohamed Abdikadir, a.k.a Ikrima, as global terrorists in response to terrorism activities in...
U.S. Troops to Combat al-Shabaab in Kenya Amid Mandera County’s Security Crisis
Kenya’s battle against al-Shabaab will receive a boost from U.S. forces after President Joseph R. Biden approved the deployment of special operation troops to the country. The soldiers are expected...
Terrorist-Turned-Pilot: A Profile of al-Shabab’s Rashid Mwalimu
In March, Kenyan security agencies issued an alert for the arrest of Rashid Mwalimu, an allegedly armed and dangerous pilot linked to al-Shabaab, the Somali-based al-Qaeda affiliate in East Africa....
Kenya and DRC Sign Defense Pact to Cooperate Against Islamic State
On April 21, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) signed agreements on security and defense amid growing threats from Islamic State in Central African Province (ISCAP), which...
Abu Yassir Hassan Surfaces as the Leader of the Mozambican Insurgency
Abu Yassir Hassan—a militant leader in Mozambique—is believed to be steering a deadly insurgency in the northern part of the country. Under his watch, a band of militants under the...
U.S. Withdrawal or Disengagement from Somalia? Assessing Somalia’s and Kenya’s Concerns
The Somali and Kenyan governments fear a resurgence by al-Shabaab as a result of the U.S. withdrawing its forces from Somalia. The exit was completed on January 15 in line...
Maalim Ayman: Al-Shabaab Commander Steering a Deadly Special Unit in East Africa
A Kenyan-U.S. military camp in Manda Bay, Lamu County in the coastal region came under heavy attack from armed militants on January 5, 2020. Three Americans were killed in the...
Shaykh Abukar Ali Adan: The Making of a New al-Shabaab Leader
Shaykh Abukar Ali Adan—a hardliner within al-Shabaab, the Somali-based Islamist militant group—is believed to have risen to the organization’s top leadership position, after the current emir transferred power to the...
Islamic State Fighters’ First Claimed Attack in Tanzania: Strategic Calculations and Political Context
On October 15, Islamic State (IS) fighters in Mozambique staged their first claimed attack into southern Tanzania, killing at least 20 people in Kitaya, Mtwara Province. The fighters also burned...
Al-Shabaab’s Top Leader Transfers Power Amid Factional Strife
Al-Shabaab—the Somali al-Qaeda affiliate in East Africa—has reportedly experienced a change in its top leadership in order to better organize its terrorist activities amid an increasing onslaught by African Union...
Shaykh Hassan Hussein Adam: al-Shabaab’s Ideologue Shaping the Insurgent Response to COVID-19
Shaykh Hassan Hussein Adam is an ideological and spiritual leader of al-Shabaab who has done the most to shape how the Somalia-based militant group has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic....
Al-Shabaab Attacks Spike, as COVID-19 Grips the World
Al-Shabaab’s recent attack targeting Somalia’s head of the military is the latest indication of the Islamist militant group’s growing confidence in its battle for control of the war-torn country in...
Chaos in the Congo: Shaykh Musa Seka Baluku – The Mysterious Leader of the ADF
Shaykh Musa Seka Baluku, an Islamist militant leader operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has recently taken steps to rebuild and strengthen the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). Baluku...
Islamist Militants in Mozambique Intensify Attacks in Cabo Delgado Province
Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jammah (ASWJ) was incorporated into Islamic State Central Africa Province (IS-CAP) in 2019 and includes militants from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The group has been responsible for...
Al-Shabaab Threatens COVID-19 Interventions in Somalia
Al-Shabaab, the Somali-based al-Qaeda affiliate in East Africa, has ramped up attacks as global attention focuses on defeating the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19). The militant group’s prolonged insurgency has left thousands...
Abdullahi Banati: The Al-Shabaab Commander who Straddles the Kenyan–Somali Border
Abdullahi Banati, an al-Shabaab commander, is known to straddle the Kenya-Somali border, killing civilians and security personnel. A member of Amniyat, the intelligence wing of al-Shabaab, Banati has been deployed...
Islamic State’s Mixed Fortunes Become Visible in Somalia
Islamic State’s (IS) attempts to gain ground in Somalia and beyond have remained slow, five years after a splinter group from al-Shabaab emerged in a mountainous region in the northern...
Young al-Shabaab Recruiter and DustitD2 Attack Planner Fawaz Ahmed Hamdun
As security experts maintain their watch over East African football fields because of youth recruitment into terrorism, the figure of Fawaz Ahmed Hamdun has become the object of particular focus....
Attacks in Northern Kenya Highlight al-Shabaab’s Enduring Ambition
Deadly al-Shabaab attacks targeting security forces, civilians, and government installations in northeastern Kenya have continued to unfold despite security forces’ intensified actions to counter the militant group’s activities in the...
Attack on U.S. Base and EU Trainers in Somalia Underlines al-Shabaab’s Resilience
An attack on a U.S. military base in Somalia has underlined the persistent threat posed by al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda affiliate in East Africa. On September 30, the militant group stormed...
Waleed Ahmed Zein: The Dangerous Terrorist Financier of Kenya
In July 2018, Kenya’s anti-terrorist police unit stormed a terrorist network suspected to be conducting financial operations for Islamic State (IS). After the operation, Waleed Ahmed Zein was identified as...
Somalia-Kenya Maritime Border Dispute Could Threaten Counterterrorism Gains
A maritime border dispute between Somalia and Kenya is threatening to derail the war against al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda affiliate in East Africa, which continues to execute a deadly war in...
The Kenyan Financier of Islamic State: Halima Adan Ali
Halima Adan Ali, a 34-year-old female Islamist militant has recently been revealed to be a financier, supporter, and recruiter of the Middle East-based Islamic State (IS). Her name is emerging...
Has Islamic State Really Entered the Congo and is an IS Province There a Gamble?
As it lost control of key regions in Iraq and Syria, Islamic State (IS) may have found a foothold in the conflict-ridden Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In April, IS...
Post-Mortem Analysis: Key Kenyan al-Shabaab Commander Shaykh Iman Ali Killed in Airstrike
A military airstrike in southern Somalia on March 22 killed Shaykh Ahmed Iman Ali, a.k.a Zunira, a deadly and influential Kenyan-born al-Shabaab militant leader. Ali, who was a fast-rising militant...
Asset or Victims: A Portrait of Women Within al-Shabaab
Al-Shabaaab, the Somalia-based terror group, has been largely portrayed as a male organization in its more-than-decade-long operational history, but it’s now emerging that women are also at the center of...
Nairobi’s DusitD2 Attack: Is al-Shabaab Engaged in a Tactical War or is it a Desperate Force?
Despite facing increased pressure from Africa Union (AU) troops and constant U.S. military airstrikes, al-Shabaab successfully staged a deadly strike in Nairobi, further illustrating the militant group’s resilience and its...
Shaykh Mukhtar Robow Ali Revisited: From Repentant Jihadist to New Enemy of the Somali Government
Shaykh Mukhtar Robow Ali—a.k.a Abu Mansur (Mansoor)—a former deputy leader of al-Shabaab, has fallen-out with the Somalia government, barely a year after his defection from the al-Qaeda affiliate in East...
Increased Attacks Suggest al-Shabaab Resurgence
Al-Shabaab’s recent attacks in Somalia underline the threat the militant group continues to pose in the county and beyond. Since 2007, African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops backed by...
Leaders of Mozambican Militant Group Revealed
Until recently, the top leadership of the rising Islamist Mozambican militant group, Ansar al-Sunna, had been a matter of speculation. However, in mid-August, the country’s police chief released several names...
Ominous Silence: Why Has al-Shabaab Refrained From Condemning This Year’s World Cup?
Al-Shabaab insists on a strict interpretation of sharia in areas of southern Somalia that it controls. This typically means that the group prohibits watching the World Cup, but the hardline...
Ansar al-Sunna: A New Militant Islamist Group Emerges in Mozambique
A series of attacks by Muslim youth targeting villages in northern Mozambique has raised fears that a new Islamist militant group is gaining a foothold in East Africa. The group...
Hussein Ali Fiidow’s Challenge to al-Shabaab Leadership
At the center of an alleged power struggle in the top leadership of al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based al-Qaeda affiliate in East Africa, is a deputy emir who is in charge of...
Al-Shabaab Faces Leadership Battle as Speculation Over Emir’s Health Mounts
The secretive head of al-Shabaab is reportedly critically ill, giving rise to speculation that the Somali Islamist group is re-organizing itself ahead of his possible demise. Ahmed Umar has been...
Jaysh al-Ayman: A ‘Local’ Threat in Kenya
After a series of deadly attacks, Jaysh al-Ayman, an elite al-Shabaab unit formed about five years ago to carry out operations inside Kenya, has emerged as the deadliest terrorist cell...
Overseeing al-Shabaab’s Kenyan Resurgence: The Ascendance of Jaysh al-Ayman Commander Abdifatah Abubakar Abdi
Al-Shabaab attacks are on the rise in Kenya. From concerns about threats to the recent Kenyan elections to stepped-up attacks in Kenya’s coastal Lamu county, this uptick in activity has...
The Resurgence of al-Shabaab
As al-Shabaab continues to lose leaders to U.S. airstrikes and territory to troops with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), analysts have contemplated the possible defeat of the Somalia-based...
Kenyan al-Shabaab Commander Flees Over Fears of Execution
Shaykh Ahmed Iman Ali, a middle level commander within al-Shabaab of Kenyan origin, has fallen out with the top leaders of the Somalia-based al-Qaeda affiliate in East Africa. Shaykh Ali...
Resisting the Purge of Foreign Fighters: Maalim Salman’s Struggle for Survival in al-Shabaab
The al-Shabaab terrorist attack on the upscale Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi in 2013 sent a shockwave through the Kenyan security establishment and instilled fear in Kenyan citizens. Widely covered...
The Defection of Shaykh Mukhtar Robow: Where Does This Leave al-Shabaab?
Shaykh Mukhtar Robow (a.k.a. Abu Mansur), a former spokesman and top commander of al-Qaeda’s East Africa affiliate al-Shabaab, is the latest militant leader to defect to the Somali government. In...
The Threat al-Shabaab Poses to Kenya’s Election
With Kenyans heading to the polls on August 8, voting once again against the backdrop of the security threat posed by al-Shabaab, the recent supposed theft by militants of an...
Somalia’s Militant Spin-Doctor: A Look at al-Shabaab Military Operations Spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis abu Musab
Despite losing major ground — or maybe in response to recent losses — Somalia’s Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, better known as al-Shabaab, has increasingly used propaganda to inspire fighters and gain...
Al-Shabaab Plays on Aid Distribution Role to Win Over Desperate Somalis
With a severe drought unfolding across Somalia, al-Shabaab militants have turned to distributing food aid in the country’s southern battlegrounds in a new strategy aimed at bringing locals on side....
Shaykh Hassan Yakub Ali: The Powerful al-Shabaab Waali of Galmudug
In February, Shakyh Hassan Yakub Ali became the first al-Shabaab militant leader to issue threats against Somalia’s new president, Mohammed Abdullahi Mohammed. Ali warned that the al-Qaeda affiliate in East...
Kenya Struggles to Combat Al-Shabaab’s Cross-Border Attacks
Al-Shabaab has increased attacks in areas near the Kenyan border in recent months, as local and international military action pushes the al-Qaeda affiliated group out of its hideouts in southern...
Ramadhan Kioko: A Look at the Pickpocket Turned Al-Shabaab Militant
About eight years ago, a time of peak al-Shabaab recruitment in Kenya, Ramadhan Kioko, then a notorious pick-pocket, vanished from the streets of Majengo, a slum in the city of...
East Africa’s Emerging IS Leader: Who Is Shaykh Abdulqadir Mumin?
In the mountains of northern Somalia, Shaykh Abdulqadir Mumin, a former al-Shabaab ideologue, is an up-and-coming leader of the emerging Islamic State (IS) cell in East Africa. Reports indicate that...
Kenya Unveils New Strategy for Tackling Terror
Kenya has launched a new strategy aimed at preventing violent extremism, unveiling it against a background of increased threats from Somalia’s al-Qaeda affiliated al-Shabaab, home-grown militants and, more recently, suspected...
Al-Shabaab Aims for ‘Hearts and Minds’ With Establishment of Islamic Police Force
Al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda affiliate in Somalia, claims to have established a religious police force in an area it controls in southern Somalia, seeking to push forward its Islamist agenda even...
Al-Shabaab Leader’s First Audio Message Suggests Morale Is Low Among Somali Militants
After nearly two years of silence, al-Shabaab leader Sheikh Ahmad Umar Abu Ubaidah has released his first audio message, a fiery rant that appears aimed at motivating his beleaguered fighters...
Kenya Gambles on Closure of Somali Refugee Camp to Halt al-Shabaab Attacks
Kenya has announced a plan to close its Dadaab refugee camp, the world’s largest refugee settlement, hoping such a move will end attacks by al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab fighters, who Nairobi has...
Jahba East Africa: Islamic State Alters the Dynamic of Somalia’s Conflict
With the emergence of a group in Somaliland calling itself Jahba East Africa, it appears Islamic State (IS) is becoming an independent entity in Somalia’s insurgency. This development will likely...
Al-Shabaab Recruitment from Kenyan Universities Alarms Officials
Al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based Islamist militant organization, is still actively recruiting from neighboring Kenya even as the group suffers major setbacks in southern Somalia. Underpinning the group’s notable success in recruitment...
The Road Comes to an End for Ugandan Islamist Leader Jamil Mukulu
Shaykh Jamil Mukulu, the leader of Ugandan Islamist group Allied Democratic Forces-National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-NALU), continues to be detained following his arrest in April by Tanzanian...
Westgate and Garissa Mastermind Shaykh Ahmad Iman Ali: Kenyan Jihadist Leader Within al-Shabaab
Shaykh Ahmed Iman Ali is one of the al-Shabaab militant leaders most wanted by Kenyan security agencies, particularly for his role in attacks in that country. In 2012, he declared...
Mohamed Kuno: The Making of Al-Shabaab’s New Kenya Mastermind
Mohamed Kuno, a former madrassa teacher in Garissa, Kenya’s main northeastern city, is the latest hardline militant leader to emerge from al-Shabaab. Until recently, Kuno was a typical Islamic preacher...
Al-Shabaab’s Foothold in Kenya’s Northeast
On June 14, the Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen militant group (better known as al-Shabaab) launched a major attack on a Kenya Defense Force (KDF) camp in Lamu County. The attack failed...
The Rise of ADF-NALU in Central Africa and Its Connections with al-Shabaab
A series of massacres in eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the last three months underline the resurgence of a little known Islamist militant organization, the...
Islamist Radicalization: A New Challenge for Kenya
On November 27, the Kenyan government reopened four mosques in Mombasa, which it had shut down the previous week over fears that they were involved in the radicalization and recruitment...
Shaykh Ahmad Umar Takes the Helm of Al-Shabaab
On September 1, a U.S. airstrike in Dahay Tubaako, a remote area in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region, killed Ahmad Abdi Godane (a.k.a. Mukhtar Abu Zubayr), the main leader and most...
Al-Shabaab to Face Different Direction after Appointment of New Leader
In recent months, Somalia’s main Islamist militant group, Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, better known as al-Shabaab, has suffered serious setbacks in its conflict with African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops....
New Strategy of Killing Aid Workers in Somalia – But Whose Strategy Is It?
As the regional head of a World Health Organization mission to central Somalia was leaving the local mosque after sunset prayers, a young man approached him, pointed a pistol to...
Emerging Cracks in Somalia’s Islamist Insurgency
Serious cracks have emerged in the alliance of Somali Islamists who have been waging a holy war against Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) since 2006. In Djibouti, some Islamists regarded...
Strategy of Somalia’s Islamists Survives Death of Militant Leader
Anti-terrorism officials in the Horn of Africa are on high alert following the killing of Shaykh Aden Hashi Ayro, the military leader of al-Shabaab, the youth wing of the Islamic...
Piracy Revenues Financing Warlords in Somali Insurgency
Almost a year after the ouster of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) from Mogadishu, sea pirates have continued to haunt ships along the 2,050-mile Somali coastline. In recent months—with the...
Political Repercussions of Somali Conflict Spread to Kenya
Renewed fighting between Islamist insurgents and Ethiopian forces in Somalia is displacing hundreds in the capital city Mogadishu. More violence is feared after the October 29 resignation of Prime Minister...
Kenya Braces for Muslim Protests in Mombasa
As Kenya prepares to host the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Cross-Country Championships on March 24, the country's Muslim community has planned a series of protests timed to...
Qat Ban in Somalia Exposes Cracks in ICU Leadership
On November 17, the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) declared a ban on Qat (or Khat), a mild narcotic plant chewed for relaxation. The ban threw off balance a multi-million dollar...
Kenya Boosts Security Measures on Border with Somalia
The Islamists who control most of southern Somalia and who are grouped under the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) continue to accuse Kenya of being biased in support of the Transitional...
Somalia’s ICU Declares Holy War on Ethiopia
After training its veteran fighters and newly-recruited students on jihadi tactics, the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in Mogadishu has declared a holy war on Ethiopia. On October 9, Sheikh Sharif...
Kenyan Media Urges Caution in Resolving Somalia Crisis
On September 24, Somalia's Islamic Courts Union (ICU) moved further south and took control of the port city of Kismayo near the Kenyan border. With the Islamist movement moving closer...
New Moderate Leader in Somalia’s ICU Gains Prominence
On Monday, September 18, explosions ripped through Baidoa, the seat of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG). One of the blasts occurred outside a building where TFG President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed...
Somalia’s Islamists Attempt to Rein in Pirates
Months after gaining control of Mogadishu, the main seaports and most of the southern parts of the country, Somalia's Islamic Courts Union (ICU) has begun to rein in sea piracy....
Hardline Islamist Militia Group Shabbab Emerges in Somalia
Recent information emerging from Somalia indicates that a hard-line faction within the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) may have evolved into a new organization called Shabbab (Arabic for "youth"), where youthful...
Somalia’s ICU and its Roots in al-Ittihad al-Islami
As the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) continues to spread its influence throughout southern Somalia, the international community has reacted with concern since there are accusations that the ICU has ties...
Mogadishu’s Ports to Provide Significant Funding for Somalia’s Islamists
On July 11, Somalia's Islamic Courts Union (ICU) established control over Mogadishu's sea port after a two day battle in which over 100 people died and 200 were wounded. With...
New Islamist Leaders Emerge in Somalia
The celebrations that marked the overthrow of the warlords, who had controlled Mogadishu for about 15 years, by the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) are nearing an end as the hard-line...