Al-Shabaab terrorist group is not only waging deadly suicide bombings against government and civilian targets in Somalia but also invests a lot of money in creating its own media outlets that includes radio platforms in different regions in Somalia e.g., radio andulus and the famous website known as “Somali memo” where the group’s propaganda campaign is set to reach larger local and international audiences.
They most portrait their best image and the worst image of their perceived enemies in the most biased propaganda war. They have many local and international stuff contributors and reporters that write almost about every topic that can advance and promote al-shabab’s agenda.
The weird angle of the story is when you find that their most dangerous stuff contributor lives in a western nation where the rule of law and the best values of the mankind e.g., human rights and democracy meet assumedly perfect and such a member of al-shabab paradoxically enjoys protection and maintains peaceful life while defending the cause of the group through all possible means and mediums. Lacala Mahamud Lacala aka Mahamud Jama Bile or as officially known by the state as Mahamed Jama Bile is one of the most reported operative of the group in overseas in Switzerland and confirmed by multiple journalists, activists and people who fell to be his victims in different contexts, where he sends killing threats thought direct calls, SMS, Facebook and WhatsApp social medias.
Given his privilege of being the clan relative of the official Somali translators in the Alps nation, he is now more emboldened that ever before, as he recently published his propaganda articles on the Somali Memo (al-shabab owned and run news website) where he viciously attacks a Somali youtuber and an unidentified foreign person, accusing them of blasphemy and other misconducts according to his personal view, the articles are in the following links and published in Somali language:
He is reportedly part of a team who recruited Somali children in Switzerland and sent them back to Somalia to fight for al-shabab in early 2011, according to interviews conducted by South west human rights defenders network SWHRDN and the horn Afrik News Agency for Human Rights HANAHR
1. https://swhrdn.net/my-story-the-missed-child-soldier/
Social Media Presence
The AS elements use mostly Facebook and Telegram to spread their message and promote their cause and to communicate. On Facebook, each one of them runs multiple Facebook accounts under different names in order to mislead anyone tracking them and continue to advance their online presence.
Anonymous journalists who investigated the story have confirmed that those operatives are covered up and protected by their clan relatives working as official Somali translators in St.gallen & Thurgau, it is also well known among the Somali community in Schweiz.
Cshrds Media Research Team