"Somalia Is on the Brink": Ex-President Blasts Government Over Al-Shabaab Resurgence

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Somalia’s former president, whose government managed to flush al-Shabaab out of Mogadishu in 2011, now says swathes of the country have been captured by the militants, while faulting the current administration of "incompetence" and lack of an effective military strategy and "political goodwill".

The Al-Shabaab, he said, was rapidly advancing from various frontlines, adding that the government is preoccupied with retaining political power and auctioning public land within Mogadishu and other strategic parts of the country.

According to him, the Al-Shabaab group had taken over strategic areas near Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. 

“The country is on the brink and Al-Shabaab is taking over, and the army has disintegrated,” Sharif said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

Last month, Al-Shabaab recaptured Moqokori, Mahas and Adan Yabaal, key towns in central Somalia, dealing a blow to government troops who have since retreated. And Sharif Sheikh Ahmed believes the government has failed in its responsibilities of motivating the soldiers.

According to the former president, members of the SNA forces have watched their families be forcibly evicted from homes situated on public land, which has reportedly been sold to private developers. He questioned how soldiers could be expected to fight for a government that, in his view, displaces the very communities they are sworn to protect.

Besides the sale of public land, the government has opened explosive political debates, including the recent change of the constitution, a move that would see the country hold its first universal suffrage elections in as many years.

However, the move has been contested by a number of opposition figures and the federal state leaders of Puntland and Jubaland. Recently, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud ordered for deployment of troops to Jubaland, escalating the conflict further.

GAROWE ONLINE