SUMMARY

In January 2012 Yassin Khalid Uthman declared himself "Amir of the Mujahideen in the Golis Mountains", taking over the group that had previously been led by Shaykh Muhammed Said Atam. One of the things that made the take-over possible was the continued influx of al-Shabaab fighters from the south of Somalia. The new "Amir" has close ties with al-Shabaab leader Godane and has pledged allegiance to the group. However, the Mujahideen in the Golis Mountains are seen as a separate group from al-Shabaab, though closely affiliated with.

Mohammad Sa’id “Atom” (a.k.a. “Atam”) is a known weapons dealer who has been put on lists for supporting terrorist movements, in this case al-Shabaab. It is however not clear whether or not there are any direct lines of command between al-Shabaab and Sa’id’s group. Atom’s militia is believed to have been involved in a number of attacks and kidnappings in semi-autonomous Puntland since 2006. The militia first emerged in Sanaag region north Somalia and has since moved into the Galgaala Mountains overlooking Bossasso, the trade capital of Puntland.

Besides the link to al-Shabaab there have been claims from Puntland that Mohammad Sa’id Atom has received assistance from a number of people within the government of Somaliland. Representatives of the Somaliland government, however, have called Atom a terrorist. When, in July 2010, Atom made a public claim that his group was connected to al-Shabaab the latter group soon refuted these claims, saying that he was not a member of their struggle.

The Mujahideen in the Golis Mountains have been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.