Radicalisation and al-Shabaab recruitment in Somalia

This research paper examines the drivers of radicalisation and recruitment for al-Shabaab in Somalia, based on interviews with former fighters, to inform counter-terrorism strategies.

• Research involving interviews with former al-Shabaab fighters indicates that recruitment is driven by a complex set of factors, including religious identity, socioeconomic conditions such as unemployment and education, political circumstances, and the desire for a collective identity and sense of belonging.
• The paper argues that counter-radicalisation strategies must be grounded in an empirical understanding of the motivations behind joining terrorist organisations to be effective.

APA

Botha, A., & Abdile, M. (n.d.). Radicalisation and al-Shabaab recruitment in Somalia. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/papers/radicalisation-and-al-shabaab-recruitment-in-somalia

Chicago

Botha, Anneli, and Mahdi Abdile. Radicalisation and al-Shabaab recruitment in Somalia. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/papers/radicalisation-and-al-shabaab-recruitment-in-somalia.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Botha |first1=Anneli |last2=Abdile |first2=Mahdi |title=Radicalisation and al-Shabaab recruitment in Somalia |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/papers/radicalisation-and-al-shabaab-recruitment-in-somalia |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bothandradicalisation, author = {Botha, Anneli and Abdile, Mahdi}, title = {{Radicalisation and al-Shabaab recruitment in Somalia}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/papers/radicalisation-and-al-shabaab-recruitment-in-somalia}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }