MOGADISHU – Somalia has offered an amnesty to militants still fighting in the capital Mogadishu, three days after the country’s president declared victory over the insurgent al-Shabaab group which has withdrawn most of its combatants from the city.
It was the first time the interim government, which has struggled to quash a four-year Islamist rebellion, had offered immunity to al-Shabaab fighters.
Some experts say al-Shabaab’s withdrawal merely extends the government’s hold on the capital by a few districts, but will do little to bring peace to the rest of the country.
They also argue that it may herald a new wave of al-Qaeda-inspired attacks. – (Reuters)
