Somalia's Prime Minister appoints former Al Shabaab spokesman as Religious Affairs Minister

Reconciliation. That is the objective pursued by the Somali Prime Minister, Hamse Abdi Barre, with the appointment of a new government cabinet, among which Mukhtar Robow, former spokesman and number two of the Al Shabaab jihadist group, linked to al-Qaeda, stands out, and to whom he has appointed the Minister of Religious Affairs. 

Also known as Abu Mansur, Robow had been imprisoned since December 2018, according to the Puntland Post, when the government of Mohamed Abdulahi "Farmajo" accused him of "organising a militia" and "trying to undermine stability" in the city of Baidoa. Robow's arrest sparked strong protests in which security forces killed at least 11 people, prompting the United Nations to denounce him.

Abu Mansur defected from Al Shabaab in 2013 after a change of ideology, and surrendered to government forces four years later in 2017, when he also publicly denounced the jihadist group. The surrender came after the US offered a five million dollar reward on his capture. 

Now 53, he has been appointed Minister of Religious Affairs in a new reshuffle of the Somali government that includes 56 new members, including 25 ministers and 26 deputy ministers.  

"I am honoured to release the list of Somalia's new cabinet that I will lead to deliver on our favourable national priorities. The cabinet is tasked with delivering key policy priorities to make our country secure, progressive and prosperous," Prime Minister Hamse Abdi Barre posted on his Twitter account. Abdi Barre also mentioned Robow's appointment as an opportunity to strengthen the fight against Al Shabaab, especially in his home region of Bakool, where the insurgents control much of the territory.  

In recent days Somalia has been facing an increase in attacks by the Islamist militia, both in the capital Mogadishu and in the south of the country, where this very week Al Shabaab executed seven hostages, accused of spying and of working for the government and the United States, guilty, they added, of killing members of the terrorist group.

These recent attacks have also forced President Hassan Shaykh Mohamud, who was elected by lawmakers in May, to pledge to focus all his efforts on security in the first 100 days of his term, in a departure from his infighting-ridden predecessor. 

In addition, a delegation from the Ethiopian army has travelled to Somalia to discuss with the Somali authorities the latest Al Shabaab attacks on the Somali-Somali border, which have resulted in several deaths.