There is no wisdom in killing people, Somalia president tells Al-Shabaab

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Al-Shabaab militants should stop the reckless killing of the people which does not have any justification to humanity, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has said, noting that the group has been targeting innocent civilians and members of the armed forces unjustifiably.

Speaking after Friday prayers, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said the Al-Shabaab fighters should turn away from a destructive path and desist from killing people, adding that the number of attacks from the group was increasing endangering civilians in the Horn of Africa nation.

Any more killing of civilians, he said, will only increase their crimes and aggression, noting that there is no wisdom behind continuing it. The president has been a fierce campaigner in the fight against Al-Shabaab since he assumed his second stint in the office on June 2022.

"There is no justification for these endless killings of innocent civilians," he told congregants. "Somalia is on the right path but we must condemn the senseless killing of our people by the Al-Shabaab, who should be ashamed of waging unnecessary war which does not have any philosophy."

Since June, the president has spearheaded one of the most sophisticated campaigns against the militants, leading to their ultimate displacement from strategic areas which are surrounding the capital Mogadishu and sections of central and southern parts of the country.

In December, the president announced that the Somali National Army [SNA] in support of the US Africa Command, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] and the local militia were making progress, acknowledging that the team could completely take over HirShabelle and Galmadug this month.

The President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud also called on Somaliland to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in the city of Las Anod instead of bullets. He termed the conflict as an "unfortunate" incident to the people under the flag of Somalia to be harmed within their country.

Dozens of people have been killed in Las Anod after security forces in the breakaway region of Somaliland opened fire on innocent civilians who were protesting against the assassination of one of the upcoming local politicians. The local militia has since forced Somaliland troops troops to withdraw to the outskirts of the town.

GAROWE ONLINE