Mogadishu (HOL) — A Banadir regional court has sentenced a Somali woman to 16 years in prison for channelling more than $2.1 million to Al-Shabaab, marking one of the country’s most significant convictions for terrorism financing.

The defendant, Asha Moalim Mursal Ali, was accused by the Office of the Attorney General of using her personal bank accounts to funnel $2,120,621. Prosecutors said the money funded Al-Shabaab operations, including bombings, assassinations, clan-based attacks, and efforts to destabilize Somalia’s political system.

The court also imposed a $20,000 fine, froze all of Ali’s bank accounts, and transferred her assets to the federal government.

The Attorney General’s office said the case demonstrated Somalia’s determination to crack down on terrorism financing and illicit money flows. “We will continue to ensure that anyone involved in such dangerous activities is brought before justice,” the office said in a statement.

This week’s ruling follows a similar case in Mogadishu in which the Banadir Regional Court sentenced Nadiifo Hassan Abdiqadir Abdulle to 15 years in prison for laundering more than $1.2 million to Al-Shabab. Prosecutors said Abdulle used her personal accounts to bankroll militant operations, conceal transfers, and facilitate the group’s activities. The court also imposed a $20,000 fine and ordered the seizure of her assets. Officials said the back-to-back convictions highlight Somalia’s intensified crackdown on illicit financial networks that sustain Al-Shabab’s insurgency.

Financial networks remain critical to sustaining Al-Shabaab’s insurgency. The group continues to carry out deadly attacks by relying on illicit funding inside Somalia and through cross-border networks.

The United States, the United Nations, and other partners have pressed Mogadishu to tighten financial oversight and strengthen anti-money-laundering measures to cut off the group’s financial base.