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{{Short description|Criminal group in Kenya}}
The '''Taliban''' is a [[Kenya
== History ==
The Taliban emerged as an offshoot of the Baghdad Boys, the original grouping that was the Luo tribes' response to the [[Mungiki]]. The Baghdad Boys of [[Kisumu]] emerged in the early 1990s around the time of the [[Iraq War|2nd Gulf War]], which gives inference to the choice of name.<ref name=":1" /> They were frequently used as a [[militia]] in Kenya's first general elections after the introduction of the multiparty system,[6] in 1992 and 1997.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2002-03-14 |title=Police target illegal gangs after Kariobangi |url=https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/report/30729/kenya-police-target-illegal-gangs-after-kariobangi |access-date=2023-09-13 |website=The New Humanitarian |language=en}}</ref> The group, most recently active in the Nairobi slums of Mathare and [[Ruaraka]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gangs take over Nairobi leaving trails of fear and death |url=https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001234412/gangs-take-over-nairobi-leaving-trails-of-fear-and-death |access-date=2023-09-13 |website=The Standard}}</ref> later broke up into several factions, with Taliban being the largest and most influential. Other splinter groups include ChinaSquadNyalenda Base, Chief Squad, Nyamasaria Massive, Kenda Kenda, Kondele Baghdad for Peace, Karamojong Boys, Saba Saba, Artur Margaryan, Kebago, and American Marines.<ref>{{Cite web |last=owaahh |date=2013-05-14 |title=7 Most Dangerous Militia in Kenya's History |url=https://owaahh.com/7-most-dangerous-militia-in-kenyas-history/ |access-date=2023-09-13 |website=Owaahh |language=en-US}}</ref>
The Taliban split from the Baghdad Boys in about 2001 in the [[Eastlands Primary School|Eastlands]] slums in Nairobi because Luos felt increasingly exploited and threatened by Mungikis.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Ngunyi |first=Mutahi |date=2014 |title=From Monopoly to Oligopoly of Violence: Exploration of a Four-Point Hypothesis Regarding Organised and Organic Militia in Kenya |url=https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/migration/ke/From-Monopoly-to-Oligopoly-Exploration-of-a-Four-Point-Hypothesis-regarding-organized-and-organic-militia-in-Kenya.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=undp.org}}</ref> The name Taliban is a Luo allusion to the way people in [[Afghanistan]] resisted American occupation by throwing stones. This is a commonality, as Luo men like to fight using stones as weapons.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Van Stapele |first=Naomi |date=2023-09-06 |title=‘We are not Kenyans’: extra-judicial killings, manhood and citizenship in Mathare, a Nairobi ghetto |journal=Conflict, Security & Development |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=320}}</ref>
The Taliban began as kamjeshi. In the Kenyan youth language Sheng, this term refers to groups of young men who provide security at bus stops and public transportation for a fee. The Taliban had political affiliations from the beginning, but their political ties and ethnic profile became more apparent in their dispute with Mungiki over control of transportation routes.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Van Stapele |first=Naomi |date=2015 |title=Respectable 'illegality': Gangs, masculinities and belonging in a Nairobi ghetto |url=https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/2483042/166647_00_Introduction.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=uva.nl}}</ref>
As early as 2002, the Taliban, along with the Mungiki, were banned by the police after a battle for supremacy over public transport protection fees ([[Matatu
In 2006, massive conflict between the Mungiki and Taliban erupted again when the Mungiki tried to collect a higher levy on [[Changaa]] in a slum,<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Mühlbauer |first=Peter |date=2007-07-06 |title=Neuheidnische Moslems gegen christliche Taliban |url=https://www.telepolis.de/features/Neuheidnische-Moslems-gegen-christliche-Taliban-3414258.html |access-date=2023-09-13 |website=Telepolis |language=de}}</ref> an area in which the Taliban are also active.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Ehrenkranz |first=Andrew |last2=Johnson |first2=Scott |date=2008-01-15 |title=Gangs of Nairobi |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-19242 |access-date=2023-09-13 |website=The Daily Star |language=en}}</ref> The brewers and distillers called on the Taliban for help, and excesses of violence ensued,<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gettleman |first=Jeffrey |date=2006-11-10 |title=Chased by Gang Violence, Residents Flee Kenyan Slum |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/10/world/africa/10kenya.html |access-date=2023-09-13 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> in which the Taliban were also supported by the Baghdad Boys, Sakina youth, and Dallas youth.<ref name=":4" />
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In the 2007 general election, the Taliban acted as a [[Vigilantism|vigilante group]] against Kikuyu ethnic cleansing,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2007-06-08 |title=Bloody gang violence raises alarm in Kenya |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kenya-mungiki-idUSL0872815820070608 |access-date=2023-09-13}}</ref> in which 1,500 people were murdered,<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Opala |first=Ken |date=2023-03-30 |title=Criminal gangs and elections in Kenya |url=https://enactafrica.org/research/research-papers/criminal-gangs-and-elections-in-kenya |access-date=2023-09-13 |website=ENACT Africa |language=en}}</ref> including 20 people beheaded by the Mungiki.<ref name=":3" /> Ultimately, however, the goal for the Taliban was to take over Mungiki areas in Mathare. For example, they were able to take over illegal Changaa breweries in Bodeni, formerly Munigik territory.<ref name=":5" />
Also in the 2017/2018 election period, clashes between supporters of the two camps and the police resulted in between 1,000 and 1,500 deaths.[19][20]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-02-25 |title=Kenya: Fresh Evidence of Election-Period Abuses |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/02/26/kenya-fresh-evidence-election-period-abuses |access-date=2023-09-13 |website=Human Rights Watch |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-10-26 |title=Election leaves western Kenya angry and bitter |url=https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/feature/2017/10/26/election-leaves-western-kenya-angry-and-bitter |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=The New Humanitarian}}</ref> A similar, albeit weakened, picture emerged in the August 2022 presidential elections.<ref name=":8" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Opala |first=Ken |date=2023-04-24 |title=Muted violence in Kenya’s 2022 elections masked seething dissent |url=https://enactafrica.org/enact-observer/muted-violence-in-kenyas-2022-elections-masked-seething-dissent |access-date=2023-09-13 |website=ENACT Africa |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Growing number of political gangs in Kenya spark election concerns |url=https://www.isdglobal.org/isd-in-the-news/growing-numbers-of-political-gangs-kenya-spark-election-concerns/ |access-date=2023-09-13 |website=ISD |language=en-GB}}</ref>
== Sources of revenue ==
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== Self-Image ==
The Taliban form alliances with gangs ( People's Liberation Army and the Group of 41<ref name=":9" />) of the [[Kalenjin people|Kalendjin tribe]],<ref name=":7" />
The Taliban see themselves as serving the Luo people, administering justice and protecting them in the event of Mungiki attacks.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":7" />
Taliban weapons include [[
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Crime in Kenya]]
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