Illegal Shabaab $150m charcoal trade goes unabated

Kismayu traders in Somalia selling charcoal on May 21, 2013. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Al-Shabaab continues to reap substantial revenues from charcoal smuggling in southern Somalia despite the presence of African Union military bases in the area, a United Nations report has revealed.

These installations at the ports of Kismayo and Buur Gabo are maintained by Kenyan forces operating under the auspices of the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), the UN team noted in an earlier report.