Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud called on the leaders and fighters of the al-Shabaab movement and the ISIS terrorist organization to lay down their weapons in exchange for a general amnesty.
A message from the Somali president's presentation was posted on the social media platform X on Tuesday.
The President of Somalia said: “I announce that I am offering peace and a general amnesty for 90 days to all members and leaders of Al-Shabaab and ISIS. I call on them all to abandon their misguided path and return to Somali society. The Federal Government affirms its full readiness to receive them and guarantee them a dignified future that will enable them to participate in rebuilding their country. In this regard, I call on the security and judicial authorities to complete the necessary preparations for the amnesty.”
It is worth noting that this presidential statement was issued amidst ongoing tensions with the leader of South West State. The president of this state had announced last Tuesday the severing of all ties with the central government, justifying this by citing alleged interference by the federal government in the region's affairs, the illegal deployment of Somali government forces in the state, and its alleged collusion with militants, as the federal government began deploying its forces in the state.
The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabaab is known to have close ties to the international terrorist organization al-Qaeda.
