This archive report was first published on 28 October 2019.
On October 28, 2019, Kenya's High Commissioner to the UK, Manoah Esipisu, emphasized the need for regional and international partners to collaborate with the federal and regional governments of Somalia to combat Al-Shabaab's financing.
Speaking at the Institute for Strategic Studies in London, Esipisu proposed the establishment of Joint Investigation Teams linked to effective prosecution and incarceration in Somalia to tackle the group's illicit taxation and protection rackets.
He also stressed the importance of protecting civilians and international humanitarian operations in Somalia, as well as ensuring that all countries exposed to the threat domesticate and comply with binding counter-terrorism measures in UN Security Council resolutions.
Esipisu noted that the military success of Al-Shabaab is far from assured, despite repeated defeats on the battlefield, and warned that the group's political and ideological assault could have far-reaching consequences, including economic failure in Somalia and areas exposed to its operatives.
