Community Resilience to Violent Extremism in Kenya

This report explores alternative approaches to countering violent extremism in Somalia by focusing on localized clan dynamics, disengagement of Al-Shabaab members, and the limitations of purely military strategies in achieving sustainable security outcomes.}

On 19 August 2019, near the southern Somali port town of Kismayo, soldiers from the Kenyan and Ethiopian armies faced off warily against one another at point blank range down the barrels of their guns. The two countries have been strategic allies for over half a century, mainly to contain a perceived common threat from Somalia.}

Over the last two years, human traffickers and smugglers in East and North Africa have shifted their business models in response to efforts to contain migration flows to Europe, resulting in notable shifts in migration patterns. At the same time, the European Union (EU) has deepened its understanding of how human smugglers and traffickers use money laundering and other illegal financial means to advance their work.}