MOGADISHU – Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced Tuesday that Somalia has one year to eliminate al-Shabaab, with the deadline for remaining African Union peacekeepers to leave set for December 2024.
Associated with al-Qaeda Since 2006, al-Shabaab has been waging a bloody insurgency against the Somali government in an attempt to establish its own rule based on a rigid interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
Mohamud stated that the recent deadly flooding had made that task more challenging, but the flooding has also made it more difficult for the militants to disperse landmines.
The government’s recent drive against al-Shabaab began in August last year, with the military rallying behind clan-based militias in central Somalia.
That rare collaboration helped produce the most significant territorial gains against the militants since the mid-2010s. But al-Shabaab continues to stage deadly attacks against military and civilian targets.
The most recent phase is meant to push into southern Somalia, the traditional stronghold of al-Shabaab.
The advancements were “encouraging,” according to Mohamud, who also noted that there was currently no sign that the leaders of al-Shabaab desired to communicate with the government.
President Mohamud said that support for Somalia’s military endeavors, the development of state institutions, the provision of essential services like health and education, and the reconstruction of its infrastructure were all urgent needs for the international community.
Source: CGTN
