AMISOM: We are defending Somalis from Al shabaab

[caydarus]

The African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia on Monday disclosed they will defend and prevent any offensive from Al shabaab, which the United States alleges to be Al Qaeda’s proxy in the horn of African nation.In an interview with The African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia on Monday disclosed they will defend and prevent any offensive from Al shabaab, which the United States alleges to be Al Qaeda’s proxy in the horn of African nation.In an interview with local mogadishu radio stations Paddy Akunda, the spokesman of AMISOM forces said they are committed to taking every possible measure to defend their miliray bases in Mogadishu from Al shabaab fighters who accustomed launching attacks during the month of Ramadan. He said they learnt the group is planning further attacks against them in the duration of the Ramadan.He also stated they will protect Somali people if Al shabaab extremist fighters targeted them.Two months ago, Al shabaab lost key military positions after battles with Somali forces backed militarily by AU troops in Mogadishu and the rebel group suffered countless and incalculable losses during those combat operations.

[The Zack]

Defend? So they are playing defense after all? Is Jose Mourinho their coach? We were hopeful that they will play offense.

[caydarus]

The extremists are literally and deliberately starving the people to death,the rebels are also stopping people from leaving areas under their control in search of food.I appealed to the world to come to the aid of Somalia and to help free her people from both the famine and the inhumanity of the insurgents."The international community must come to our aid by giving us, not just food, but also the means to rid Somalia of these callous terrorists who have no regard for the interest of the Somali people. It is the insurgency itself that is the root cause of the famine,the government of somalia is doing more resources and troops, that they could expand this to cover the whole country. So as a somali community we must do this if we are to save the lives of millions.

[caydarus]

Following media claims that Al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda linked terrorist group, lifted its ban on aid agencies, the group’s spokesperson denied the reports.

 

Al-Shabab spokesperson, Ali Mohamud Rage, said on Thursday, ‘the agencies we banned are still banned. The agencies were involved in political activities.’

 

The two regions of Somalia, Bakool and Lower Shabelle, where a famine has been declared, are controlled by the Eritrean-backed terrorist group.

 

The spokesperson rebuffed reports of famine as ‘utter nonsense, 100% baseless and sheer propaganda.’ He claimed ‘There is drought in Somalia and shortage of rain but it is not as bad as they put it.’

 

Earlier this month, however, the spokesperson indicated that the group wants to open talks with aid groups to facilitate their return.

 

Organizations, like the U.N.’s World Food Program and Mercy Corps, are banned by Al-Shabaab, while UNICEF and Save The Children, could operate.

Meanwhile the drought and famine is having a considerable political impact within the senior ranks of Al-Shabaab with not everybody prepared to support lifting of the ban on operations of international aid agencies. Al-Shabaab’s chief commander, Abu-Zubeyr “Godane” opposed the move, apparently worried that NGOs might provide intelligence for air strikes by US and France helicopters and drones. This view is apparently shared by a number of the leaders of the foreign fighters, the so-called “ Al-Qaeda operatives”. Others, including Sheikh Muktar Robow “Abu-Mansoor”, Al-Shabaab’s second in command, whose clan members are most affected by the drought, Sheikh Ali Dhere, Al-Shabaab spokesperson and Fuad Shongole, head of Al-Shabaab’s community mobilization and religious affairs department, strongly pushed for allowing international aid agencies to operate. They argued that this will help Al-Shabaab regain lost trust and confidence in the drought-stricken communities in the South Central areas under its control. They have been encouraged in this by support from clan elders.

 

Shortly after Al-Shabaab announced that it would allow aid agencies to operate in areas under its control elders in Bay and Bakool regions, two of the worst drought affected areas Sheikh Muktar Robow to pull the Rahenweyn fighters out of Mogadishu since Abu-Zubeyr “Godane” was opposing any re-engagement with aid agencies. The elders accused “Godane” of betraying the local communities of Bay and Bakool regions by denying them aid despite their full support for Al-Shabaab. The elders claimed “Godane” did not have the interest of the people at heart even though these were the people most affected by the drought. A local elder in Baidoa, who identified himself as Hasab Aliyow was quoted as saying they would do anything to resist any condition that Al-Shabaab might try to impose on aid organizations. “Those organizations operate in all other regions of Somalia. It is not only us that have been affected by the drought. Other communities are getting assistance in their areas,” said Aliyow.

 

Sheikh Muktar listened to the elders from his clan. Witnesses reported seeing Rahenweyn fighters (Robow’s clan) moving out of Mogadishu on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, and returning to Bay region, a stronghold of Al-Shabaab. It is a region mainly inhabited by the Rahenweyn and other affiliated minorities. It is from these areas from which the majority of people have been moving into the severely overcrowded Kenyan refugee camps or those at Dolo in Ethiopia. Most of the people fleeing the drought come either from the Rahenweyn or other minority Somali clans in the south-west where Al-Shabaab has been able to gain significant support. Most of the refugees now reaching the Dadaab camps have been coming from Sakow, Ufurow, Afmadow or Bardera, and their dialects clearly show to which clans they belong.

 

“Godane” reluctantly went along with the decision to allow aid into Baidoa in the face of the pressure and insistence coming from Muktar Robow and his allies and from the Rahenweyn, but insisted that this “painful decision” of allowing international aid agencies to carry out aid distribution should only be carried out strictly under monitored and regulated procedures. A week after Al-Shabaab lifted its ban, a UNICEF plane landed at Baidoa Airport. Shortly before its arrival, “Godane” forces took control of the process away from the UNICEF coordinators on the ground, organizing the off-loading of the food and medicine from the aircraft and placing it all in storehouses in Baidoa under their control. Sheikh Muktar, angered that the supplies were not immediately being distributed, mobilized his forces to seize them. A violent confrontation was only avoided by the intervention of the commander of the foreign fighters, Abu-Mansoor Al-Ameriki, who forced “Godane” and Sheikh Muktar to meet. After two days of discussion failed to resolve the impasse, they were told to wait for a decision from Al-Qaeda, and until that came Sheikh Muktar was to pull his forces to the west of the town and “Godane” take his to the east.

 

Aid organizations have been making use of the disagreement between Al-Shabaab leaders to mobilize local elders and members of the Diaspora community to put pressure on Al-Shabaab to allow access to drought victims. A number of aid agencies have negotiated agreements with clan elders in various parts of Bay, Bakool and Juba regions to take relief supplies into areas under the control of clans affiliated to Al-Shabaab leaders. There have, however, been other incidents underlining the fact that not everyone in Al-Shabaab is prepared to support the operation of aid agencies. Last Friday, Al-Shabaab fighters burnt a vehicle carrying aid medicine for drought affected people in Gedo region. The same day another car loaded with aid drugs has seized as it was heading towards Garbaharey, a town controlled by pro-government forces. Yesterday, an Al-Shabaab spokesman, Sheikh Ali Mohamoud Rage, claimed the UN declaration of famine was “100% false and propaganda”. He agreed there was drought but denied this had led to widespread hunger. Sheikh Ali said Al-Shabaab would not allow certain banned organizations to return and would continue to block previously banned organizations.