Food Crisis, Drought Risks Fueling Islamist Militancy in Somalia
- Al-Shabaab has been distributing aid in drought-hit areas
- Group’s control of food, water may aid recruitment: analyst
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Islamist militant group al-Shabaab is stepping in to help Somalian communities cope with the most severe drought in decades, a move that could bolster its ranks and raise the risk that it will intensify a violent insurgency within the country and further afield.
The group has formed a special committee comprising seven of its leading members to respond to the drought, its spokesman Sheikh Ali Dhere said. The committee has visited communities in several drought-affected regions to distribute cooking oil, rice, sugar and other aid, pictures published by al-Shabaab-aligned media show.