Saturday April 27, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL) - A hundred al-Shabab militants surrendered to the Somali government in recent weeks in the South-Central region of the country, the government reported.
The Ministry of Information stated in a release on Saturday that the government welcomed the defectors in Mogadishu, Galmudug, Southwest, and Hirshabelle regional states. It is urging more militants to take advantage of the president's amnesty.
"The government is encouraging the youths whom the enemy has misled to surrender to their government, and it also praises the role of Somali parents in steering their children away from extremism," the statement added.
However, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) recently reported over 205 incidents of political violence in the country, resulting in at least 539 deaths. The most affected areas were the Lower Shabelle and Mudug regions, where intensified attacks by al-Shabaab on security forces have caused the highest casualties.
The country is experiencing significant political turbulence due to a controversial effort to amend the provisional constitution, which has been in place since 2012. The proposed constitutional amendments have sparked widespread opposition, particularly from the Puntland administration, which temporarily declared its independence from Somalia on March 31.