Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud called on ordinary Somalis on Thursday to assist flush out members of the al-Shabaab militant group, which he referred to as “bedbugs.”
Mohamud was speaking to massive crowds at a government-organized demonstration against al-Qaeda-linked extremists staged in Mogadishu’s stadium under heavy security.
“I’m calling to you, the people of Mogadishu, the kharijites (renegades) are amongst you… therefore flush them out. They are in your homes, your neighbors, and the cars that pass you by,” he explained.
“I want us to commit today to flushing them out; they’re like bedbugs under our garments,” he said, as marchers waved anti-al-Shabaab flags and slogans.
For the past 15 years, Al-Shabaab has waged a violent insurgency against Somalia’s feeble internationally supported central government, carrying out strikes both in Somalia and in neighboring countries that have contributed soldiers to assist in the fight against the extremists.
“The people are tired of massacres, killings, and other forms of misbehavior, and they are now saying to al-Shabaab, ‘Enough is enough,'” Mohamud explained.
Shortly after taking office in May of last year, the president vowed a “all-out” battle on extremist fighters.
In recent months, the army and local clan militias have retaken large swaths of land in the country’s center, aided by US airstrikes and an African Union mission.
Despite the offensive, the militants have regularly struck with devastating attacks, demonstrating their capacity to strike at the heart of Somali communities and military institutions.
Despite being driven out of Mogadishu and other major urban areas more than a decade ago, Al-Shabaab is rooted in rural central and southern Somalia.