A former chief of the National Intelligence Security Agency (NISA) has claimed that Al-Shabaab is likely to influence the upcoming polls in Somalia.
The East African nation is scheduled to hold national and regional elections in late 2020 before following this up with presidential polls in early 2021.
This past weekend, Abdullahi Mohamed Ali Sanbalolshe, a former Director of NISA, claimed that Al-Shabaab plans to allow its members to vie in various constituencies.
Further, he warned that the sympathizers of the Al-Qaeda linked militia would forward their names as candidates to represent their constituents in parliament.
He cited the example of several elders who are listed as electors yet swore allegiance to the militia as recently as 2019.
Consequently, Sanbalolshe has warned that the credibility of the polls remains at risk.
He added that most of the elders who are sympathetic to Al-Shabaab were forced to swear allegiance to the group after receiving threats.