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 authorities across the region concerned (see Terrorism Monitor, June 16, 2017; see Terrorism Monitor, February... MORE

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 militant group. Indeed, Somali President Mohammed Abdullahi Farmajo stressed this possibility at a conference in... MORE

In October the Chinese Communist Party enshrined Xi Jinping’s “One Belt, One Road Initiative” (OBOR) in its constitution. The move again demonstrates how the sweeping plan linking China and Europe via land and sea routes now is at the heart of China’s foreign policy and... MORE

Life in parts of Kenya’s traditionally Muslim coastal region has become a nightmare of beheadings and midnight raids by masked assailants, compounded by the ineptitude of local security forces. In Lamu County, a historic center of Swahili culture, growing ethnic and religious tensions have proved... MORE

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 electronic voting kit has raised fears that the group could seek to directly target the... MORE

Libya: Unease in Tripoli Despite UAE Talks Libya’s Khalifa Haftar had his forces stage a military parade on May 16 to mark the third year of his Libyan National Army (LNA) campaign to force Islamist militants out of Benghazi (Libya Herald, May 16). With growing... MORE

Kenya: On Alert as al-Shabaab Factions Clash   Kenyan security forces are on alert following reports of bloody clashes between al-Shabaab factions, which are said to have pushed fleeing militants across the border. The fighting is thought to have been prompted by the group’s execution... MORE

Kenya: Mombasa a Focus for Islamic State  Police in Kenya’s costal region arrested two suspected members of Islamic State (IS) on February 18. The pair had reportedly returned from Syria and their arrests serve as a reminder that while al-Shabaab remains the major threat in... MORE

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 Somalia. Analysts believe the militants now have bases in the north and northeastern regions of... MORE