ISIS royalties disrupt trade in Somali capital

ISIS continues its attempts to impose its control over the Somali capital, as Bakara Market, the largest commercial market in Mogadishu, witnessed a complete closure after the terrorist organization imposed exorbitant fees on traders despite the federal government’s control over the area.

Merchants, who requested anonymity due to the existing security threat, said that ISIS demanded they pay a royalty of about 30% of each merchant's property.

Previously, merchants paid levies imposed by the terrorist Al-Shabaab movement and ISIS, in addition to the official tax paid to the government.

The merchants responded to the exorbitant royalty by closing their shops due to the inability to pay, and also to show their inability to bear it, while some of them confirmed that the closed shops are mostly construction equipment stores, which are the most important in the city.

For its part, the Somali government has not commented on these developments so far, while no statement has been issued by traders about the closure.

Despite the Somali government's control of Mogadishu, ISIS and Al-Shabaab still pose a threat to the lives of citizens, as they collect royalties from merchants or target their businesses with terrorist bombings.

ISIS began its first operations in Somalia in 2015 with its first appearance in the eastern mountains of Puntland state, where it originated from the Al-Shabaab split in Puntland. Since then, the organization has expanded in large parts of southern Somalia.

According to local sources, the organization first started collecting taxes from businessmen in the city of Bosaso and other parts of Puntland, before moving on to collecting money from Mogadishu.

ISIS is working to reduce the influence of Al-Shabaab in Somalia, as it is trying to prepare the atmosphere to receive the organization’s elements fleeing the fighting areas in Iraq, Syria and Libya, and therefore it is well aware that Somalia is a safe haven for which it is fighting.

The international research institute ACAPS published a report confirming that ISIS elements headed to Somalia after the organization’s defeat in Iraq, and their activity will increase significantly as they seek to gain strength and resources.

ACAPS stated that the arrival of the terrorist organization's elements to Somalia will affect the civilian population and will lead to the outbreak of more bloody clashes with Al-Shabaab.