Liverpool drill rapper duo ‘are spotted carrying guns and parading with troops in Somalia
A pair of Liverpool drill rappers have been spotted carrying guns and parading with troops in Somalia amid a cross-border clan conflict.
British nationals Abdifatah Gulaid, 31, and Noah Ihiekwe, 30, travelled to the north-east of the African country earlier this year, the BBC reported.
Gulaid raps under the name Still Brickin, while Ihiekwe is known as Rayzer.
In one clip, the pair, who are from the Toxteth area of Liverpool, were seen donning military garb while posing with soldiers.
Gulaid was heard saying: ‘There is no more need for talk, they’re going to see us.
‘You know what I am here for, I’m not messing around, time for talk is finished.’
In another video, he adds: ‘You know what we’re about, you’re going to see our mettle in the battle.’
He was also seen sporting a handgun that was holstered at his side.
While Somalia has seen decades of armed conflict, amid a raging civil war between the government and the militant Al-Shabab group, longer-running feuds between clans have dominated society and made efforts to unify the country largely obsolete.
British nationals Abdifatah Gulaid, 31, (right) and Noah Ihiekwe, 30, (left) travelled to the north-east of the African country earlier this year
Gulaid raps under the name Still Brickin, while Ihiekwe is known as Rayzer
Still Brickin has affiliations with the Warsangeli clan, a group currently deep in the midst of conflict with the rival Isaaq clan.
While the drill rappers’ involvement in any conflicts is not currently known, the UK government told the BBC that ‘any person who travels from the UK to conflict zones to engage in unlawful activity should expect to be investigated upon their return’.
The pair were seen in the Laasqoray Hotel in Badhan, a city in the northern region of Sanaag.
Sanaag has been claimed by both the self-declared republic of Somaliland and the autonomous region of Puntland, which is part of Somalia.
One woman in the hotel the pair stayed at told the BBC: ‘I saw them several times in the hotel lobby, they were just very casual, coming and going and I noticed they were speaking English with a Scouse accent.
‘We had a brief conversation as they heard me speaking English too, they told me they were from Liverpool and that they were enjoying their time in Somalia, but they didn’t say why they were there.’
The hotel hosted a conference attended by Warsangeli clan leaders who declared a campaign to take over a town from Somaliland in what was a significant escalation in territorial disputes.
The woman said: ‘One evening I saw them, but they were no longer wearing casual clothes, they were wearing combat clothing, and they were carrying guns, I don’t know much about guns, but they looked like AK47s to me.
The pair were seen in the Laasqoray Hotel (pictured) in Badhan, a city in the northern region of Sanaag
Gulaid was heard saying: ‘There is no more need for talk, they’re going to see us’
He was also seen sporting a handgun that was holstered at his side
Just a week prior to their arrival, they were detained along with four other men in Phuket, Thailand, during a drugs raid
‘They left the hotel and joined a much bigger group outside who had assault rifles and guns attached to retrofit cars with enhanced body work.
‘Not long after I could hear gunshots, some of the bullets hit the buildings. The hotel manager told me to go to my room and lock my door as it wasn’t safe.
‘I stayed there for three days until I could be safely escorted out of Badhan to Bossasso to catch a flight back to Nairobi.’
Just a week prior to their arrival, they were detained along with four other men in Phuket, Thailand, during a drugs raid.
Thai cops stormed a villa in the Ratsada district on January 23, discovering around 13lbs of cannabis alongside 39 tanks of laughing gas.
While cannabis was legal in Thailand for personal use at the time, selling it without a licence is against the law.
Both rappers were later released without charge.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Home Office for comment.