Al-Shabaab deserters seek amnesty from Kenyan government

Alleged jihadist youths are apprehended by police during a raid at a mosque in the Majengo area of Mombasa on February 2, 2014. Police said they stormed the mosque because youth were being radicalised there. [Ivan Lieman/AFP]

By Bosire Boniface
Saturday, January 24, 2015

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Garissa, Kenya — Over the past two years, former al-Shabaab member Abdi Hussein Abdi has been re-building his life and educating other young men about the dangers of extremism.

In recent months, however, Abdi said he has grown "distressed" and fearful for his life.

In June 2012, Abdi, who is now 25, returned home to Wajir town after a two-year stint in Somalia, where he fought alongside al-Shabaab militants.

Abdi said he decided to abandon the group after he realised its distorted views were killing innocent civilians and wreaking havoc in Somalia.

"I resolved to rebuild a normal life without violence," he told Sabahi. "Since then, I have been living a peaceful life and even resisted attempts by some recruiters and militants to re-join the group."

Now, when Abdi meets youth at social gatherings or at the mosque he uses his own story to dissuade them from joining al-Shabaab. He also tries to persuade those who have already joined the group to walk out.

Although Abdi has continued to be vocal about his change of heart, he said security agents have become suspicious of him again in recent months.

"They have interviewed me on several occasions," he said. "Whenever an attack happens here in Wajir and even as far as Mombasa the security agents are knocking on my door interviewing me about my involvement."

Defectors fear for their safety

"I am very distressed because I fear for my life," he said. On one hand, he said he fears being killed by al-Shabaab operatives for leaving the group at its hour of need, but he also fears being killed by police during security operations.

Abdi said he knows of a dozen other youths in Garissa and Mandera counties who have deserted the group but have not come out to denounce it because they fear being harassed, arrested or killed by police, or assassinated by al-Shabaab in retaliation.

"We want amnesty," Abdi said. "We want assurance that once we come out publicly to denounce al-Shabaab the government will not harm us but instead it will protect us from the militants who may want to harm us."

Giving remorseful youth a chance to publicly denounce al-Shabaab is important for several reasons, he said. First, it allows youth to reveal their first-hand experiences and make public the atrocities al-Shabaab routinely commits and would like to keep secret. Second, it offers them a way to redeem themselves before the members of their own communities.

Most defectors want to rebuild their lives but need help, he said, and some even need medical assistance to deal with the trauma and guilt they experience.

"I was lucky to have relatives who helped me with capital to start a business," said Abdi, who owns a clothing boutique. "But there are those youths returning home without anything. The monetary promises that made them join the group have not been met. They are returning only with training in violence. If the government or the community will not help them, they may use their violent skills to cause havoc and rob people to survive."

Nothing to lose

The Kenyan government should seriously consider offering amnesty to al-Shabaab members who are willing to disarm, security analysts say.

Security officials might be surprised by the number of former militants who would be interested in such a programme, said retired Kenyan army Colonel Daud Sheikh Ahmed.

"By declaring an amnesty it is not as if the government is declaring [that it is considering the] withdrawal of troops from Somalia," he told Sabahi. "But it could prove to be a major strike and a final nail in the coffin of the group that has witnessed its fortunes dwindle with the deaths of its leaders and loss of territories."

"To request amnesty is like offering [to accept defeat] and the government should take the offer while there is a will," Ahmed said. "If the government waits, the opportunity may be lost. If amnesty is not forthcoming, the youths who want it may view that the government does not value them. It is very easy for them to re-join the group or form another group since they have combat training and have nothing to lose."

However, in conjunction with offering an amnesty programme, the government also ought to address the issues that led these young men to join al-Shabaab in the first place, such as unemployment, Ahmed said.

"Instead of alienating them, which could force them to join other extremist groups or form a splinter group, the government should keep the youths busy by creating job opportunities or empowering them to be self-reliant," he said.

"The government has to be sincere that those surrendering will not be harmed [or] it will be detrimental to the whole idea," he said, adding that if the amnesty programme is successful it could erode support for al-Shabaab.

Misled youth deserve a second chance

Youths riot following a police raid on a mosque in Mombasa, resulting in more than 100 arrested and charged February 3rd with being members of al-Shabaab. Security analysts say the Kenyan government should consider offering amnesty for al-Shabaab members willing to disarm, and should redouble efforts to address the issues that lead youth to join al-Shabaab, such as unemployment. [Ivan Lieman/AFP]

"It will be imprudent for the national government to ignore amnesty demands," Mandera County Governor Ali Roba told Sabahi.

"There is a danger for the deserters to backslide [to the group] if nothing is done," he said. "That is why my county is doing everything to constructively engage the youths in various youth empowerment programmes."

In order to manage crime and counter terrorism, Roba said, the government should be flexible and consider a mix of initiatives and programmes that address the issues at hand.

"Al-Shabaab has committed some heinous crimes against humanity, but there are those [within the group] who we believe want a second shot in life and they deserve to be given that second chance," he said.

Kenya can learn from Somalia, which has offered amnesty to al-Shabaab members who turn themselves in, said retired Kenyan army Major Bashir Haji Abdullahi.

The Kenyan government must take advantage of the desperation of some of the group's rank and file and issue its own amnesty programme, he said. "In the real sense, it is a tactical move that has seen scores of al-Shabaab members surrender."

"It is not only the foot soldiers who have surrendered but also al-Shabaab commanders have taken advantage of the amnesty," Abdullahi told Sabahi, noting that al-Shabaab commander Sheikh Osman Sheikh Mohamed and intelligence chief Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi recently surrendered to Somali forces in Gedo region.

"I believe those who have surrendered have proved invaluable for the Somali and [African Union Mission in Somalia] forces to make great strides against the group," he said.

Nonetheless, he cautioned that anyone seeking amnesty should first undergo a rehabilitation programme to ensure they will become productive members of society.

Seeking justice for victims

For Garissa resident Anne Mueni, 35, the idea of amnesty is an insult to the victims of terror attacks.

Mueni said she survived an al-Shabaab attack on African Inland Church, one of two churches the militants stormed in July 2012, killing 17 congregants.

"I lost two cousins and several other people who were very dear to me in that attack," she told Sabahi. "My faith teaches me to forgive my transgressors, but I have not found that part to forgive the terrorist who stormed the place of worship."

"[Giving] amnesty to terrorists is an insult to the victims and survivors of terror attacks," she said. "They should at least serve some time in jail for justice to prevail."

Garissa County Director of Criminal Investigations Musa Yego said an amnesty programme could encourage more al-Shabaab members to come out from the shadows to defect and provide crucial information to security forces about the group's operations.

Nevertheless, issuing amnesty to such a group is the prerogative of "a higher authority", he said.

"We are talking of a security threat that cuts across the national, regional and global stage," he told Sabahi. "As county authorities, we are limited to issue amnesty to criminals confined within the county, but when it comes to terrorist groups like al-Shabaab then it is the prerogative of a minister or the head of state."

Until such a decision is reached at the national level, he said, local security personnel will deal with criminals and suspected terrorists according to the law.

Ministry of Interior and Co-ordination of National Government spokesperson Mwenda Njoka said the national government is taking the matter into consideration and will make an announcement at the appropriate time.

"Several things will have to be looked into before an amnesty is issued. The government will make an announcement after considering all factors," he told Sabahi.

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