Djibouti pledges to support Somalia in Al-Shabaab war

Mohamed Ibrahim Yusuf, new Djibouti ambassador [L] and Sheikh Aden Madobe, Somali Lower House speaker [R] - Photo parliament

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Djibouti has pledged again to support Somalia in the fight against Al-Shabaab, with strengthening of diplomatic relations also in the picture as the country gets to the second phase of operations which will target regions in which the group is still dominant.

Sheikh Aden Madobe, the speaker of the Lower House, said Somalia and Djibouti will work closely in eliminating the militants who have been causing havoc in the country for the last 16 years. He was welcoming the new Djibouti ambassador to Somalia Mohammed Ibrahim Yousif.

The new ambassador said Djibouti will contribute towards the stabilization of the country. Recently, President Omar Guelleh pledged to dispatch more troops to Somalia alongside Kenya and Ethiopia who will join those working under African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] who are mandated to bring order to the country.

“The leaders “agreed to jointly plan and organize a robust operational campaign at the frontline states level, of search and destroy on multiple frontlines aiming at key al-Shabaab strongholds across the south and central Somalia,” they said in a joint statement.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud recently activated the second phase of operations against Al-Shabaab at Adan Yabal, a village which was recently seized from the militants. The phase will target vast areas across the country with the installation of civilian rule being the immediate priority.

In a recent interview with Financial Times, Hassan Sheikh also insisted that at the moment, the government is not intending to negotiate with the militants but with time, there could be talks geared towards completely declaring a truce within the country which has been struggling with instability for the last three decades.

Besides using the military to crush the militants, the government has also invested in ideological tactics where clerics are used to preach against violent extremism. The government will also focus on tracing Al-Shabaab's revenue sources with intention of crushing them completely.

GAROWE ONLINE