Somali President Chairs Federal State Leaders to Unite Efforts in Fight Against al-Shabaab

The Al-Shabaab* jihadist movement has been fighting against the Somali government since the mid-2000s. The al-Qaeda*-affiliated group, which managed to take control of some parts of Somalia, has long been terrorizing people not only in the country, but also in other neighboring countries in East Africa.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Monday chaired a meeting in the capital Mogadishu of federal state leaders in a bid to reunite efforts in the fight against Al-Shabaab terrorists.

Dubbed the National Consultative Forum (NCF), the gathering was attended by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, Deputy PM Salah Jama, and leaders of the country’s five Federal Member States (FMS) of Puntland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, South West, and Jubbaland, in addition to the mayor of Mogadishu.

The focus of the meeting was on how to deal with the general insecurity in the country, mainly caused by the Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group Al-Shabaab. The meeting came in the wake of the Somali National Army intensifying its attacks against Al-Shabaab, which resulted in some of the territories controlled by the militants being freed.

The NCF gathering also discussed other political issues, including the extension of term limits for federal state leaders, as well as a misunderstanding between the FGS and the FMS.

Al-Shabaab, which refers to itself as the Islamic Emirate of Somalia, has been fighting against the Somali government since 2006.

Recently, the organization intensified its terror attacks after the newly-elected government declared an "all-out-war" against the terrorist militant group with the help of African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) troops deployed in the country.

* Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda are terrorist organizations outlawed in Russia and other countries.