33 Countries of Origin’ Profiles

4 SOMALIA States. Following the defeat of the ICU, the group ’ s militant youth wing, Al-Shabaab, have continued the fight against the government. In 2012 Al-Shabaab swore allegiance to Al Qaeda. In August 2012, the Transitional Federal Government was replaced by the first elected government in 22 years, the Somali Federal Government. Since 2014 Al-Shabaab has been weakening, but some of its militants and other opposition groups have continued to launch attacks, such as the suicide attack on a Mogadishu hotel in February 2015. Al-Shabaab maintains control over large areas in southern and central Somalia 9 . Al-Shabaab millitants ©Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP vi a The Telegraph CULTURAL TRADITIONS: Somali society is based on a clan systemwith membership in a diya group along kinship lines. Diya groups are bound together and collectively pay or receive compensation for violence perpetrated by members or against members. Compensation for death is usually 100 camels for a man and 50 camels for a woman. Payments go to men, and women are not equal members. There is a group of elders who take decisions 10 . In Somalia, if two people of the same gender are conversing, they can come close to each other, make eye contact and touch. When unmarried men and women are talking, they must address each other in a professional and detached manner, and touching is discouraged. Somali culture is very modest and public displays of affection are not encouraged: a married man and a woman will simply walk side by side. It is also very unusual to see Somali couples fighting in public. Intimate relationships are considered to be a private matter. 9 https://www.insightonconflict.org/conflicts/somalia/conflict-profile/ 10 http://www.undp.org/content/dam/rbas/doc/Women%27s%20Empowerment/Gender_Somalia.pdf