Banadir Court Jails Woman for Six Years Over Alleged Al-Shabaab Financing

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: A court in Banadir region has sentenced a woman to six years in prison after prosecutors accused her of funneling more than $2.1 million through bank and mobile money accounts to support the Al-Shabaab militant group, the Office of the Attorney General said on Tuesday.

Maryan Mohamed Nuur was convicted on charges including terrorist financing, money laundering, and aiding activities linked to the militant group, whose insurgency continues to undermine security across the country.

Prosecutors told the court that Nuur operated five bank accounts and five mobile money numbers used to channel about $2.17 million to the group for bomb-making, recruitment, land acquisition, and other operations.

The court also ordered the confiscation of eight plots of land and the closure of all accounts associated with her. She was fined $20,000.

The Attorney General’s office said the ruling underscored the government’s determination to crack down on financial networks that sustain the militant group.

“We will pursue anyone involved in these dangerous activities and bring them before the courts,” the office said in a statement.

Al-Shabaab has long relied on a sophisticated financial network to fund its operations, raising revenue through taxation, extortion, and international money flows, despite intensified government efforts to disrupt its financing channels.