Analysts claim that Somalia’s public protest against the Islamist militant group al-Shabab on Thursday was a much-needed manifestation of togetherness. To support the full-scale war he proclaimed against the organisation last year, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud assembled tens of thousands of people in the nation’s capital. The Somali army has retaken areas that the terrorists had previously controlled with the assistance of local militias and foreign partners. Regional politics, according to some, are harming advancement.
Analysts praised the president’s call for Somalis to expel al-Shabab militants from their areas and remain vigilant in their fight against the Islamists as a sign of much-needed unity.
Mohamud told the large crowd of Somalis gathered at the Mogadishu Stadium on Thursday that the time for al-Shabab had passed and that everyone should work to destroy the organisation.
He asserts that the Benadir region, which contains Mogadishu, should oppose the Khawarij, an Islamic heresy, and expel its adherents. According to Mohamud, they are in your homes, at your neighbours’ homes, have rented your homes, and drive close to your homes with their automobiles. He claims that starting today, everyone must promise to expel them like bedbugs.
The protest happened as the Somalian army, with help from clan militias and foreign partners, was launching an offensive against the group.
After seven months of combat, al-Shabab has lost control of the area it had ruled for years.
However, the militants have also taken the initiative.
Authorities in Somalia claim that on Saturday, the group attacked government soldiers in the central Hiran district, killing more than 40 people.
At a popular Mogadishu market crossroads in October, the group claimed responsibility for twin car bombings that left 121 people dead and hundreds more injured.
Political and security analyst Samira Gaid works independently and is based in Mogadishu. She tells VOA that in order for the government to successfully combat the extremists, popular support is required.
“It’s crucial that operations receive support from the general populace, and I believe that the administration is ensuring that this is continued by including the populace,” Gaid stated. “Therefore, I believe it is a good idea to continuously be aware of what the people desire.”
According to Gaid, the government’s backing is growing and resources are being taxed, which has caused a slowdown in the operation against al-Shabab in recent weeks.
Despite the Somali army’s triumphs over the organisation, commentators caution that the advancement could be hampered by political squabbling.
In a statement released on Monday, the government of Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in northeastern Somalia, said that it had stopped working with the federal government.
According to the declaration, it would function as its own government while the federal constitution for Somalia was being finalised.
Mohamed Ibrahim Rashid started Linking Governance in Mogadishu. It is a company that works on policy and governance strategy.
He says that Puntland’s announcement could hurt the progress made against the militants in terms of security.
The dispute between the federal administration and Puntland, according to Rashid, may present difficulties for the federal government and ongoing security measures. Any regional state in conflict with the federal government, according to him, may be an issue.
In the election held in May of last year, President Mohamud of Somalia defeated President Said Abdullahi Deni of Puntland.
Since then, the two presidents’ disagreements over how much authority the federal and state governments should share have gotten worse.
The federal government of Somalia has contested authority with regional ones before.
Following fatal skirmishes between police and demonstrators, the breakaway republic of Somalia known as Somaliland withdrew its forces from the disputed town of Las Anod this month.
Puntland has claimed the town in Somaliland, which broke away from Somalia in 1991.
In August, Somalia’s regional states stopped working with the federal ministry of finance, saying that the federal government had “broken agreements.”
Despite the political squabbling, Somali authorities measured their success in fighting al-Shabab this week.
According to Somali security forces, more than 2,000 militants have been killed since the attack started in July, and more than 250 bank accounts connected to the group have been blocked, according to Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre.
