EDITORIAL | Northeastern State of SomaliaPresident Said Abdullahi Deni has this week dealt with the aftermath of one of the most daring raids by Al-Shabaab brains on a prison facility in Bossaso, the state’s main financial capital on the Gulf of Aden.
On Thursday, March 11, the president officially dissolved the local district council following the jail attack that marked the biggest terrorist attack in Northeastern State this year.
But this requires much more. On March 6, the terrorists attacked a correctional facility in Bossaso, the northeastern port city of Northeastern State, freeing hundreds of their members along with ISIS militants and other dangerous criminals detained there.
The manner in which Al-Shabaab attacked the facility smelled of sophistication and it was clear that they were overwhelming the local guards and were under numbers and overpowering.
Then the group ventured propaganda. It claimed that about 400 inmates had been released, including 150 who had been jailed for terror-related crimes, including being members of the banned ISIS, the terrorist traffickers that sprouted in Syria and Iraq but have since found links in Somalia.
The Northeastern State government has not given a precise picture of what happened to officials who appear to be contradicting each other about the extent of the losses, the nature of the attack and how many prisoners were released.
Witnesses, however, reported heavy shots and explosions, indicating that the attackers came armed with weapons capable of breaking through barriers and wiping out any fighting back.
Yet such a raid is not the first time Al-Shabaab has done so. In Bossaso himself, Al-Shabaab had attempted a raid in 2013, although this time the prison guards stood still and opposed the attack.
Last year, al-Shabaab claimed yet another attack on a prison facility in Mogadishu and exploited sympathetic guards who provided some inmates with weapons to facilitate their escape.
The overarching thread in these bold moves is that Al-Shabaab is not weak and can always attack when convenient. But it is also an indication that the government of Northeastern State and the federal government of Mogadishu must cooperate rather than target each other’s necks.
Over the past few months, Presidents Deni and President Mohamed Farmajo have laid each other down both publicly and privately. Of course, the controversy has been Farmajo’s expired mandate and delayed elections.
But the extroverted Farmajo has also been accused of fueling local conflicts and apparently weakening Deni. Such a scenario can only benefit al-Shabaab, who thrive in chaos.
The Northeastern State and Mogadishu authorities should instead work on a common strategy. Fighting Al-Shabaab will always require counter-insurgency strategies.
The al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group has often used all sorts of tools available to it, including propaganda, lures with money, power and political adjustments to cause terror in the country.
And Somalia, which still depends on external support for its own security, must do better to find a cheaper way to fight the terrorist traffickers. Counter-insurgency will mean that governments, as opposed to just talking about weapons and standing guard, continually cultivate a good rapport with the public and provide security and serve as the best alternative for all militant groups.
This means that training programs that keep our young people involved in useful activities, provide adequate security and continuously respond to public concerns. In this way, Al-Shabaab, Daesh, ISIS or all its affiliates had little chance of recruiting or even acting as if they are a savior for the people.
We must deny Al-Shabaab a chance to ever behave like a parallel government in any part of Somalia. But it must begin with a good working relationship between all levels of government.
AXADLETM
