Telecoms companies that are operating in areas controlled by the Al Shabaab terrorist organization in central and southern Somalia have heeded to an order by the militant group to shut off any internet services to their customers.
The networks obeyed the directive even though the government urged the companies to disregard the order.
Hiraan Online news site said residents in the areas reported no signals even as the militia was spotted checking mobile phones for any internet connections in areas they control. The website also reports that Al Shabaab militants also entered telecom companies and ordered them to shut down internet provision.
Telecom officials further say negotiations with the group’s command at the district level to reverse the orders had not been positive with the order believed to have originated from militant group’s top command.
The group issued the after he claimed that spies were using the internet and smartphones to relay their operations. The outfit had also said that the internet was leading to immorality and thus was deemed as fit
Abdi Aynte, a Somali analyst with heritage institute of policy studies described the move as an intimidation tactic or paranoia within the group that the internet which helps people send information elsewhere in the world could be exposing them and their activities to outsiders.
“The most important one is that they are afraid that this technology will be used to track some of their top fighters as the operations of drones permeate in the areas that al Shabaab controls in South and Central Somalia,” he said.
