Women and Recruitment in the Al-Shabaab Network: Stories of Women being recruited by Women Recruiters in the Coastal Region of Kenya

Authors

  • Fathima A. Badurdeen Technical University of Mombasa

Abstract

The presence of women and girls within the Al-Shabaab is viewed as a security threat within the changing dynamics of recruitment in Kenya. Recruitment of women and girls may be attributed to the needs of the Al-Shabaab terrorist organization where they have specificities on recruiting them in their prominent roles in the Al-Shabaab camps and their missions. This article investigates the recruitment process of women into the Al-Shabaab from the Coastal Region of Kenya. Specifically, the article probes the ' how ' , ' why ' and ' who ' of the recruitment process for the Al-Shabaab, discussing the ' recruited ' and the ' recruiter ' in the recruitment process. Utilizing biographic narratives and an integrated framework €“ rational choice theory and victimhood approach, the article explores the process of involuntary recruitment of women and girls by the Al-Shabaab using women recruiters. The findings draw on in-depth interviews with women identified as returnees from Al-Shabaab, and thirty-seven key informants on understanding the characteristics of women recruiters and the motivations of women and girls being recruited, in the involuntary nature of the Al-Shabaab ' s recruitment process to provide essential insight to help counter women and girl ' s recruitment. The findings reveal that women and girls play a prominent role as recruiters in the Al-Shabaab network. As recruiters they remain key contact personnel in recruiting women and girls for the Al-Shabaab utilizing deceptive recruitment strategies where they play a role as confidant, logistic support and planning within a human trafficking phenomenon.

 

Keywords: Women and recruitment, radicalization, involuntary recruitment, AlShabaab, Coastal Region of Kenya

 

Fathima A. Badurdeen

Lecturer, Technical University of Mombasa, E-mail: fazmiya@tum.ac.ke

References

Agara, T.2015. Gendering Terrorism: Women, Gender, Terrorism and Suicide Bombers. International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 5(6): 115-125.

Alejano-Steele, A. 2013.Friends and Enemies in the Crime of Sex Trafficking, in Harre, R. and Moghaddam, F. M. (Eds.).Inter-Personal and IntraPersonal Processes: The Psychology of Friendship and Enmity. California, Colorado, Oxford: PRAEGER. pp. 147-164.

Amoroso, V. (11.09.2017)."Kidnapped: Inside Al-Shabaab ' s Abduction of women and young girls".https://thebestofafrica.org/kidnapped-inside-AlShabaabs-abduction-women-young-girls/, accessed 23.02.2017

Attwood, C.2017. "The sex slaves of Al-Shabaab", BBC News 25 May 2017. Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-40022953

Badurdeen, F.A.2012. Youth Radicalization in the Coast Province of Kenya, Africa Peace and Conflict Journal, 5(1): 53-64.

Badurdeen, F. A. 2016."Al-Shabaab Terrorist Recruitment in Kenya: Contributions from the Social Movement Theory". Paper presented at the 24th International Congress of Political Science, Social Movement Approaches Panel, Adam Mickiwicz University, Poznan, Poland, 23-28 July, 2016.

Badurdeen, F. A.2018. Roles, Motivations, and Recruitment Pathways of Kenyan Women Recruited into the Al-Shabaab, in Mazrui, A., Njogu, K., Goldsmith, P. (Eds.). Countering Violent Extremism in Kenya: Between the Rule of Law and the Quest for Security. Nairobi: Twaweza Publications.

Beeson, J. G.2015. Psychology of Human Trafficking, in Palmiotto, M.J. (Eds.).Combating Human Trafficking: A Multidisciplinary Approach. New York: CRC Press. pp. 47-60.

Bloom, M. 2018. "How ISIS is using Marriage as a Trap",

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mia-bloom/isis-marriagetrap_b_6773576.html#, accessed 14.02.2018

Bloom, M. andMatfess, H. 2016."Women as Symbols and Swords in Boko Haram ' s Terror". https://www.inclusivesecurity.org/publication/women-as-symbols-andswords-in-boko-harams-terror/, accessed 20.02.2018

Botha, A.2013. Assessing the vulnerability of Kenyan youth to radicalization and extremism. Nairobi: Institute for Security Studies.

Braw, E. 2018. "Terrorist Use the Internet to Actively recruit women", https://www.huffingtonpost.com/elisabeth-braw/terrorists-use-internett_b_174427.html, accessed 12.02.2018

Brown, S.E., Esbensen, F., andGeis, G. 2007.Criminology: Explaining crime and its context. Sixth Edition. Cincinnati: Anderson Publishing.

Capital Campus. 2015. "Al-Shabaab luring female students to Somalia with promise of marital bliss".

https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/campus/Al-Shabaab-luring-female-students-tosomalia-with-promise-of-marital-bliss/, accessed 20.02.2018

Capital News. (11.09.2016). "Female bombers killed in foiled terror attack on Mombasa Central Police Station".

https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2016/09/female-bombers-killed-foiledattack-mombasa-central-police-station/, accessed 20.02.2018

Chamberlayne, P., Bornat, J. and Wengraf, T. 2000. Introduction: The biographical turn IN: Chamberlayne, P., Bornat, J. and Wengraf, T. (eds.) The Turn to Biographical Methods in Social Science. London Routledge.

Cragin, R. K. and Daly, S.A. 2009. Women and Terrorists: Mothers, Recruiters, and Martyrs. California: PRAEGER Security International.

Eliot, J. 2015. The Role of Consent in Human Trafficking. London & New York: Routledge.

Goldberg, R. (30.03.2015). Jihadi Brides arrested as they tried sneaking into Somalia at Kenyan Border. Intelligence News, Terrorism and War Updates, http://intelligencebriefs.com/jihadi-brides-arrested-as-they-tried-sneaking-intosomalia-at-kenyan-border/, accessed 20.02.2018

Herz, A. 2012. Human Trafficking and Police Investigation in Winterdyk, J., Perrin, B., and Reichel, P. (Eds.). Human Trafficking: Exploring the International Nature, Concerns, and Complexities. London, New York: CRC Press.

Henry, S. and Milovanovic, D. 2000. Constitutive Criminology: Origins, Core Concepts, and Evaluation. Social Justice, 27 (2): 268-290.

Hoyle, C. Bradford, A. and Frenett, R. 2015. Becoming Mulan? Female Western Migrants to ISIS. London: Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

International Crisis Group (ICG). 2012. Kenya Somali Islamist Radicalization, Africa Briefing, Nairobi/Brussels: International Crisis Group.

Khalil, J. 2017. "A Guide to Interviewing Terrorist and Violent Extremists", Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 1-15.

Lanier, M., & Henry, S. 2004.Essential Criminology. 2nd edition. United States of America: Westview Publishers.

Martin, G. 2011.Women Terrorist in Martin, G. (Ed.).The SAGE Encyclopedia of Terrorism. Second Edition. California: Sage Publications.pp. 629-632.

Monrique, P., Cao, Z., Gabriel, A., Horgan, J. Gill, P., Qi, H., Restrepo, E. M., Johnson, D., Wuchy, S., Song, C., and Johnson, S. 2016. "Women ' s Connectivity in Extreme Networks", Science Advance, 2(6): 1-6.

Mwahanga, S. (30.03.2015)."Women nabbed at Kenya-Somalia border en route to join Al-Shabaab". https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000156552/women-nabbed-atkenya-somalia-border-en-route-to-join-Al-Shabaab,

accessed on 11.02.2017

Mwaura, W. (2015). Women taking a more aggressive role in terrorism. http://kw.awcfs.org/article/women-taking-a-more-aggressive-role-interrorism/, accessed on 20.02.2016

Ndungu, I. and Salifu, U. 2017. The Role of Women in Violent Extremism in Kenya. Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies.

Oketch, W. and Borana, J. 2015. "State: Jihadi brides have links with ISIS", https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000161310/state-jihadi-brideshave-links-with-isis accessed 20.02.2018

Ondieki, E., Achuku, V., Okwany, R. and Otsialo, M. (17.09.2016). "The Rise of Women in Terrorism". http://www.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/lifestyle/The-rise-of-women-interrorism/1214-3384688-b7cl9f/index.html, Accessed 20.02.2016

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).2013. Women and Terrorist Radicalization: Final Report.

http://www.osce.org/secretariat/99919, accessed 13.10.2017

Onsarigo, C. and Mkongo, M. (21.09.2016). "Three women arranged over Mombasa Terror Attack". https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2016/09/21/three-women-arraigned-overmombasa-terror-attack_c1424295, accessed 20.09.2017

Ryle, R. 2011. Violent Intersections: The Gender of Human Trafficking in Ryle, R. Questioning Gender (Second Edition). California: SAGE Publications. pp. 478-480.

Saltman, E. M. and Smith, M. 2015.Till Martyrdom Do Us Part: Gender and the ISIS Phenomenon. London: Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

Shelley, L. 2010. Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.

The Citizen. 2015. "How this girl was lured by ISIS terrorists",

http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/News/national/How-this-girl-was-lured-by-Isisterrorists/1840392-2672372-3w7rooz/index.html,

accessed 11.02.2018

The Star. 2015. "Jihadi brides face new terror charges",

https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2015/12/11/jihadi-brides-face-new-terrorcharges_c1258727, accessed 20.02.2018

Villa-Vicencio, C., Buchanan-Clarke, S., and Humphrey, A. 2016.Community Perception of Violent Extremism in Kenya. Cape Town: Institute for Justice and Reconciliation; Life and Peace Institute.

Wabala, D. 2017."Rape victims identify Al-Shabaab terrorists who gang raped them in Boni forest". https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001254681/rape-victims-identify-AlShabaab-terrorists-who-gang-raped-them-in-boni-forest, accessed

11.2017

Weaver, M. 2017. "Sally Jones: UK punk singer who became leading ISIS recruiter", https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/12/sally-jones-the-uk-punksinger-who-became-isiss-white-widow, accessed 12.02.2018

Wengraf, T. 2008.Life-histories, lived situations and ongoing personal experiencing using the Biographic-Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM). Guide to BNIM interviewing and interpretation

Zhang, S.X.2007. Smuggling and Trafficking in Humanbeings: All roads lead to America. Westport, Connecticut: PRAEGER.

Downloads

Published

2018-04-30