Al-Shabab fighters offered amnesty as new Somali president declares war

Mr Farmajo (centre-left) said terror attacks had become more frequent. PHOTO: VILLA SOMALIA

Somalia’s new president has offered al-Shabab militants a 60-day amnesty amid a declaration of war on the group, BBC has reported.

Fighters who gave themselves up would receive training, employment and education, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo said.

The announcement came a day after a deadly bomb attack in the capital Mogadishu that killed seven.

Al-Shabab militants are also suspected of a spate of kidnappings of aid workers in the drought-hit country.

“We want to pardon the Somali youth who were misled by al-Shabab,” President Farmajo said, dressed in full military fatigues, at a news conference in Mogadishu.

He also announced a major shakeup in the country’s security services.

“Terror attacks have become frequent and all Somali forces are on a state of alert to combat insecurity and terror,” he said.

Analysts say the new measures aim to reinforce gains made by the UN mission in Somalia, Amisom, and government forces.

It comes after US President Donald Trump relaxed some of the rules for preventing civilian casualties in Somalia when counter-terrorism air strikes are carried out, laying the ground for an intensification of the campaign against the group.

Senior officers in the intelligence service and police force have been replaced to prepare for the escalating war against the militants.

Mr Farmajo named a new military commander, director of national security and intelligence, commander of police and a new head of prison forces. He also appointed a The new president was elected in February promising a “new beginning” for the country.

Al-Shabab – which is allied to al-Qaeda – is battling Somalia’s UN-backed government and has also carried out attacks in neighbouring Kenya.