Politics

al-Shabaab: Somalia’s Mohamud worries as deadline for peacekeepers’ withdrawal draws near

Published

1 year ago

November 22, 2023

Somalia is running out of time to defeat the deadly al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militant group in the country. Its president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud made the position known on Wednesday as the deadline for the remaining African Union peacekeepers to leave looms.

Mohamud said the troubled East African country has just one year left to root out terrorism, as it has been facing a brutal insurgency against it since 2006 in a bid to establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

Mohamud, serving his second term as president, said in August he wanted to eliminate it by early next year.

“The end game is Dec 2024 when all the ATMIS (the African Union peacekeeping) forces have to leave the country,” Mohamud told an audience at London’s Royal United Services Institute.

In September, Somalia asked the United Nations to pause a planned drawdown of 3,000 African Union peacekeepers for three months to allow its security forces time to regroup after a militant attack forced them to withdraw from several recently captured towns.

The goal was to destroy “the residual” al Shabaab, he said, but the recent deadly flooding in the region had made the task more challenging, although the flood also made it more difficult for the militants to disperse landmines.

Mohamud called the progress “encouraging,” noting that there were currently no signs that al-Shabaab’s leaders desired any kind of communication with the government. He also urged the international community to support Somalia’s military endeavours, strengthen its state institutions, supply essential services like health and education, and rebuild its infrastructure.

“If that changes we will,” he said. “I believe this will end up in dialogue … rather than killing and maiming and chasing away.”

In August of last year, the military in central Somalia rallied behind clan-based militias to launch Mohamud’s latest offensive against al-Shabaab. Although al-Shabaab has continued to carry out deadly attacks against military and civilian targets, this uncommon cooperation has contributed to the most notable territorial gains against the militants since the mid-2010s.

Related Topics:Al-Shabaab Drought in Somalia Featured Somalia

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.