Al-Shabab faces pushback in Ethiopias Somali region
Ethiopia’s Somali region is mobilizing
against al-Shabab militants to prevent further incursions by the group.
The region had been hailed as the most
peaceful in Ethiopia since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018. But
that was put to the test three weeks ago when al-Shabab fighters forced their
way into the region, igniting a deadly confrontation deep in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia has now amassed troops along the
border for possible military operations against al-Shabab. But the Somali
region is also mobilizing community leaders including religious scholars, women
and traditional elders. Business leaders have pledged funds and pastoralists
have donated livestock to the security forces. The apparent goal is to resist
infiltration of al-Shabab’s ideology in a region known for its tolerance and
peaceful cohabitation between various faith communities.
Sheikh Mohamed Hassan Burawi is one of the
clerics who spoke out against al-Shabab during a recent government-organized
gathering in the region’s capital, Jigjiga.
“They want to manipulate people by saying
they want to spread religion and jihad,” Burawi told VOA Somali in a phone
interview. “We have to give people awareness that what these men are preaching
is not jihad, but it’s independent of the religion.”
Burawi said the Somali region does not need
al-Shabab’s intervention, and said the scholars are obliged to speak at mosques
and inform the public about the militant organization.
“This is the right time to speak out,” he
said. “We should not give these men a chance, the government should not give
them a chance and the clerics should not give them a chance. We have to stop
them here.”
Samira Gaid, a security expert and executive
director of the Mogadishu-based Hiraal Institute, said the community appears
for now to be ready to reject any al-Shabab incursion.
She said al-Shabab has been struggling to
build a support base inside Somali Region.
Although extremist groups in Somalia so far
have failed to set up permanent bases in Ethiopia, they have succeeded in
recruitment. Ali Diyaar, commander of al-Shabab’s Ethiopia front, and several
other commanders who were reportedly involved in the recent incursion are from
the region. Al-Shabab has also recruited from other Ethiopian communities,
including from the Oromo.
The picture that is emerging from the region
indicates the operation against al-Shabab fighters has been lengthy and more
complex than previously reported by authorities. It appears security forces
have been engaging the militants until at least late last week.
Two Ethiopian officials, one a diplomat and
the other a security official who requested not to be named because they are
not allowed to speak to the media, admitted that some of the al-Shabab fighters
have reached their target — a mountainous area that stretches between the
Somali and Oromia regions.
The number of militants who reached there is
estimated to be between 50 and 100. But Somali Region officials repeatedly
reported that al-Shabab militants who entered Ethiopia have been crushed. They
ruled out the possibility that al-Shabab fighters are organized as a fighting
force inside the region.
“Operations have officially lasted four to
three and a half days,” the region’s deputy security chief Mohamed Ahmed Gurey
told VOA Somali last week.
Gurey said al-Shabab's strategy in Ethiopia
has “failed.” Officials said they have seized weapons, walkie-talkies, SIM
cards, phones, rice and sugar — indicating the militants planned for a lengthy
operation inside Ethiopia.
“Since then, people in the rural areas and
villagers have been hunting them, but their remnants have been apprehended
yesterday and the day before in different locations,” Gurey said. “They are on
the run. Some are trying to return to Somalia. Some are thirsty and don’t know
whether they are going. All that remains is clearing up.”
Officials believe al-Shabab wanted to reach
the mountainous area near the small town of El Kari located close to the border
with Oromia. The region’s officials confirmed the militants have been courting
locals in that vicinity for at least a year. El Kari is in an area where locals
have some grievances stemming from land disputes, and where some locals may
feel their concerns are not being addressed by the local administration, an
official said.
The social integration of the locals is more
connected to the southern regions of Somalia. The area is also strategic,
mountainous and with enough water to support a farming and pastoral community.
Officials believe al-Shabab was building a
local cell for at least a year. On July 15, five days before the al-Shabab invasion,
regional security forces conducted an operation in the El Kari area that killed
a local cleric identified as Sheikh Mohamed Hassan Osman. The region’s security
chiefs accused him of being the al-Shabab “worker” in the area.
Osman’s body was displayed by the
authorities, who described him as an al-Shabab commander. He allegedly fought
against the security forces. Officials said they confiscated weapons during the
operation that led to Osman’s killing.
“The information we have is that this man was
important to al-Shabab and a pillar for their attempts to destabilize
Ethiopia,” Gurey said.
He said al-Shabab's target in this incursion
was the El Kari area, which Gurey argues proves the information they had about
Osman was correct.
Authorities alleged Osman possessed extremist
views and was known to the authorities for many years.
“The view about him was that he is an
extremist who will cause fitnah (trouble) sometime,” Gurey said.
Osman’s relatives could not be reached for
comment.
Al-Shabab vowed to fight the Ethiopian forces
and also has been conducting its own mobilization along the border.
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