The Somali government has reported that a group of 100 al-Shabab militants have willingly surrendered themselves to the country’s army forces.

In recent weeks, a hundred al-Shabab fighters surrendered to the Somali government in the South-Central region. The Ministry of Information announced that the government welcomed the defectors in various regions and is urging more militants to take advantage of the president’s amnesty.

The government is encouraging misled youths to surrender and is praising Somali parents for guiding their children away from extremism. However, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) recently reported over 205 incidents of political violence, resulting in at least 539 deaths. The Lower Shabelle and Mudug regions have been most affected by intensified attacks by al-Shabaab on security forces.

The country is currently facing political unrest due to controversial attempts to amend the provisional constitution established in 2012. The proposed amendments have faced widespread opposition, particularly from the Puntland administration, which briefly declared independence from Somalia on March 31.