Highlight
President of the federal government of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in a statement on Wednesday 28th October, 2015 called on Al Shabab militants to lay down arms and surrender to the government.
Summary and Analysis
Warning the Al Qaeda linked terrorist group against pledging allegiance to Daesh terrorists, the president’s remarks align with demands of a faction of the terrorist group.
There are disagreements within the Al Shabaab terrorist group between militants who want to pledge allegiance to the Daesh, (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham), and those who would rather stick to their former ally, the Al Qaeda.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said that none of the two options would be beneficial to the fighters as the infighting would result into more deaths. He offered them the option of surrendering to the authorities and contributing to the peace building of the country.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s concerns come as the militant group encounters increased setbacks including shifting of alliances and financial constrictions. There is also reported infighting both within the militants’ ranks and among the fighters themselves. Some senior officials within the group are under threat of the group for calling on fighters to join the Islamic State.
What the Somali government and the African Union is fighting in Somalia is a disintegrated terrorist group which is at its most vulnerable stage. With most of its strongholds lost to the authorities, the group has never been at a situation where it would be easily trampled upon with more coordinated effort, backed with heightened intelligence information to thwart any plans for its re-stabilization.
