Al Shabaab Attacks AMISOM Base in Leego, Somalia

On June 26, a suicide car bomber drove into the main gates of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) base in Leego. The base is about 87 miles from Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. After the car broke through the gates, soldiers opened fire upon the attacking fighters. At least 30 people were killed.

Residents of Leego reported seeing Al Shabaab fighters burning cars and removing the weapons and bodies of their members killed during the attack.

Al Shabaab claims that the attackers took control of the base, but this has not been confirmed by AMISOM or the Somalian government.

AMISOM released a statement following the attack, saying that its resolve to continue helping the government and people of Somalia has not been diminished. It goes on to say that AMISOM will continue to work with the Joint Operations with the Somalia National Army (SNA) throughout Somalia to combat Al Shabaab and free areas under its control.

The base targeted is run by Burundian soldiers. Burundi is the second-largest contributor to AMISOM, with 5,432 troops in Somalia. It was the second country to deploy troops to Somalia, starting in December 2007.

Al Shabaab is an Al Qaeda-affiliated group fighting the Somali government with the intent of installing an Islamist regime. Beyond its immediate goal of usurping power in Somalia, it has carried out numerous attacks in Kenya and has called on sympathizers to attack the US. In the past ten days, the organization attempted to attack a political conference in Adado, Somalia and targeted the United Arab Emirates ambassador to Somalia in Mogadishu.

In May, Al Shabaab released a video vowing to attack Uganda and Burundi in retaliation for its military involvement in Somalia as part of the UN peacekeeping mission, which the group considers to be unjust occupation. Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza has also insisted that Burundi faces a threat from Al Shabaab, though his critics say that the threat is imaginary, designed to divert attention from his controversial bid for reelection.

Although Nkurunziza is currently coming under fire for trying to run for a third term, which goes against Burundi’s constitution, his critics must listen to him when he says that Al Shabaab does pose a threat to Burundi. As evidenced in today’s attack, Nkurunziza was correct: the group is targeting Burundian soldiers fighting in Somalia. The domestic politics of Burundi should not serve to downplay the threat from Al Shabaab.