From Sabahi Online

Al-Shabaab operatives posing as traders are doing business with Kenyan merchants as a way to fund the militant group’s terrorist activities, according to Garissa County Commissioner Mohammed Maalim.

“The trade proceeds, especially from the sugar imports, are going to the coffers of the militant group,” Maalim said April 15th during a town hall meeting with local merchants at the Garissa Guest House. “The militants are relying on the trade to sponsor their violence.”

The import of Somalia-produced sugar is worth an estimated 100 billion shillings ($1.2 billion) annually, according to Garissa County Development Officer Kenneth Rutere, but much of it is not declared to Kenyan customs officials, making it the country’s largest illicit market.

According to the Kenya Sugar Board, the industry regulator, Kenyans consume 800,000 tons of sugar annually, but domestically produce only 500,000 tons.

Read more at sabahionline.com