Al-Shabab is a militant Islamist group from Somalia. The chaos in Somalia has allowed the group to gain power and become increasingly violent.

In the last few months, Al-Shabab militants have been blamed for attacks on my country,  Kenya. The Kenyan military has fought back with support from the U.S., France, Uganda and Nigeria. But Kenya needs more help if we are going to defeat Al-Shabab.

The group grew out of the Islamic courts that controlled Somalia in 2006 until Ethiopian forces invaded to support the weak interim government. Al Shabab now controls most of southern Somalia, including the second biggest city, Kismayo. The group is reported to have links to Al Quaeda, blocks shipments of humanitarian aid, and beheads its enemies.

Al-Shabab is powerful and well funded. They have received funding from sympathetic members of the Somali diaspora. It’s very difficult to trace these transactions because a lot of them go through an unofficial Halawa financial network. At the same time, the United Nations has said that Eritrea has been secretly funding Al-Shabab for years.

My biology teacher from Kihuti High School in Kenya, Michael Gatitu wrote in an email, “Al-Shabab poses a great security  concern  to  Kenya and threatens  to  cripple  the Kenyan  economy  through  the  abductions  of  tourists  and  two  Spanish relief workers from  Doctors Without Borders.”

He continued, “No other kidnappings have taken place since the launch of the military offensive about a month  ago,”  but he emphasized that the country remains unsafe as long as it is threatened by Al-Shabab.

If something is not done immediately, then my people in Kenya will not be safe.

If it is possible Al-Shabab to hear me, I would kindly tell them to stop kidnapping on our soil for God’s sake.