MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s National Security Advisor Hussein Sheikh Ali on Friday dismissed reports that the federal government is engaging in talks with Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda offshoot group that has waged an insurgency in the war-torn Horn of Africa nation for more than a decade.
“FGS is not in talks with al-Shabab (Al-Khawarij). The President has put forward clear conditions on this eventuality,” Sheikh Ali said in a statement on X.
“They must sever any link with global terror groups and accept Somalia’s territorial integrity. They must be willing to pursue their political agenda peacefully.”
In previous media appearances, Al-Shabaab spokesman Ali Dhere repeatedly ruled out talks with the Somali federal government, describing it as a “puppet” authority that has no legitimacy from its people.
Reports circulated on social media over the past 24 hours suggested that secret talks between representatives from the Somali federal government and Al-Shabaab are due in Doha, Qatar.
It comes just a week after the Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced that his government open to negotiations with the Islamist insurgency. The comments came following US military assessment indicating that the group had reversed all gains made by Somalia’s army in a two-year joint offensive with clan militias backed by US and Turkish air forces.
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