Has Al-Shabaab’s allegiance pledge to al-Qaida influenced its bombing campaigns in Africa?

Similar to several insurgent groups in Africa, Al-Shabaab in Somalia has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda, which has implications for people`s safety in the continent. Some policymakers, practitioners and scholars assume that a pledge between insurgent groups increases terrorism in the base country or elsewhere. However, new analysis finds that Al-Shabaab`s bombing attacks did not significantly change in Africa after the group pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda, which has implications for international stakeholders who are at risk of reproducing terrorist propaganda efforts.