Somalia Assigns al Shabaab co-founder as religion minister

Former al Shabaab group co-founder and spokesperson Mukhtar Robow in Mogadishu, Somalia August 2, 2022. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

 

Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre on Tuesday Assigned a co-founder and spokesman of the Islamist al Shabaab as minister for religious affairs, a move that could either help strengthen the fight against the insurgents or provoke further clan clashes.

Mukhtar Robow had a $5 million U.S. bounty on his head after he co-founded al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab and served as the group's spokesman.

 

Tens of thousands of people have been killed by explosions carried out by Al Shabaab terrorists in their struggle to topple Somalia's central government and impose their interpretation of Islamic rule.

 

When Robow joined the government side in 2017, he publicly criticized al Shabaab after leaving the organisation in 2013.

 

 

But as he became more influential politically, the relationship deteriorated. As Robow ran for the regional presidency of Southwest State in December 2018, the former government of Somalia detained him.

 

In the ensuing protests, security forces killed at least 11 individuals, drawing condemnation from the UN.

 

Robow's new job sparked a flurry of hashtags on twitter crowing he had made it #FromPrisonertoMinister. He had been held under house arrest until recently.

 

His appointment could help strengthen government forces in his native Bakool region, where insurgents hold substantial amounts of territory but where Robow also commands support. Or it could fan flames with the region's president, who sees him as a political rival.

 

"We welcome his appointment. The move will advance reconciliation and will serve as a good example for higher level al-Shabab defections," said political analyst Mohamed Mohamud.

 

"Al Shabaab members who might be thinking of surrendering ... can dream of serving their country at the highest levels."

 

After three years in which his predecessor took little action against al Shabaab because to political infighting, the country's new president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was chosen by lawmakers in May, has committed to confront the insurgents.

 

As a result, the militants were able to amass huge cash reserves and launch operations across a large portion of Somalia. Numerous al Shabaab fighters and Ethiopian security personnel were killed in confrontations last week along the common border between the two countries.