Somalia's military court has sentenced three men to prison for collaborating with the Al-Shabaab militant group. Abdi Abdulle Omar and Mohamed Mohamud Abdi received eight-year sentences, while Abdullahi Ahmed Abdi was sentenced to four years for providing intelligence to Al-Shabaab, a group notorious for its violent insurgency in Somalia.
The court found that the trio had supplied the group with information regarding nine cargo vessels transporting goods for Somali business owners. Authorities alleged that this intelligence-sharing was part of an effort by Al-Shabaab to extort funds from Somali merchants by threatening their shipments. The Somali government has been intensifying its efforts against Al-Shabaab collaborators and holding supporters accountable.
Government agencies have been targeting individuals engaged in information-sharing with militant groups in a bid to reduce the influence of Al-Shabaab in the country. The Somali National Army (SNA) and other security forces continue to counter Al-Shabaab's operations, which include disrupting its intelligence networks and prosecuting individuals involved in aiding the group.
