Kenya and other African countries have been urged to intensify support to the Federal Republic of Somalia after a terrorist attack linked to Al-Shabaab near the Somali Presidential Palace left several dead and others nursing injuries.
In a statement released on Sunday, October 5, the African Union (AU) Commission Chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf called upon Member States, including the Troop and Police Contributing Countries and the broader international community, to step in and effectively degrade and eliminate Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups in Somalia.
“The Chairperson also calls on all AU Member States, including the Troop and Police Contributing Countries and the broader international community, to intensify support to the Federal Republic of Somalia and the AUSSOM to effectively degrade and eliminate Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups in Somalia,” the AU noted.
This is after Al-Shabaab attacked Godka Jilow, an underground prison complex known to hold fighters from the armed group, on Saturday, October 4.
The prison is a fortified site near the presidential palace in one of Mogadishu’s most secure areas, raising doubts about reported improvements in the security situation in the Somali capital.
According to reports, the assault began after a car bomb blast, which was followed by a heavy exchange of gunfire and explosions that rang throughout the city in a six-hour-long siege.
In a statement, Al-Shabaab, known to have links to Al-Qaeda, said it launched the attack to free “all the Muslim prisoners” held at the facility, but the government later said no one had escaped.
The Somali state media said the seven attackers used vehicles painted to resemble those of the country’s intelligence agency and wore uniforms similar to those of its military.
“This enabled them to easily pass through the control checkpoints protecting the capital’s security, as armed forces vehicles are not subject to formal inspection,” the Ministry of Internal Security said in a statement.
Despite the dangerous attack, the Somalian government later revealed that all attackers were killed, in what was one of the largest attacks Somalia has experienced in recent months.
Meanwhile, Youssuef assured the Somali Government of the full solidarity and the unfaltering commitment of the Union to neutralise the threat posed by terrorism and violent extremism in Somalia, the Horn of Africa region, and the entire continent.
Kenya is among the nations that contribute soldiers to the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), with approximately 1,410 personnel from the Kenya Defence Forces, part of a total of roughly 11,900 personnel.
