The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published on 6 August 2026 an analysis titled "Countering Terrorism Financing in East Africa" by Daisy Muibu and Nicole Mazurova.
Al-Shabaab in Somalia has established a sophisticated revenue-generation capacity that includes criminal activities, illicit trade, smuggling, and money laundering. Al-Shahaab obtains annual revenue of up to $200 million annually. The Islamic State in Somalia generates between $100,000 and $360,000 monthly through extortion and illicit taxation.
Defeating these terrorist organizations will require degrading their revenue generation capacities through strengthened national and regional coordination.
