NAIROBI (Reuters) - The Somali insurgent group al Shabaab collects almost as much tax as the government through a sophisticated system of levies on activities from importing goods to irrigating crops, a think tank report has found.
The Mogadishu-based Hiraal Institute said al Shabaab’s tax collectors were bringing in an estimated $15 million per month. Its report was based on more than 70 interviews with businessmen, government officials, al Shabaab defectors and active members of the insurgents’ tax collection cell.
