(20 April 2024) BAIDOA (Halqabsi News) — Eight former members of Al-Shabaab surrendered to the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) in Baidoa on Saturday, marking a continuation of a trend in defections amid intensified military operations against the group in South and Central Somalia.
In the past two weeks alone, 25 individuals have abandoned Al-Shabaab and surrendered in South West Somalia, contributing to a notable increase in defections across the country. Similar trends are reported in the Galmudug and Jubbaland regions, where militants, no longer able to withstand the group’s stringent conditions, have opted to defect.
Earlier in the day, a senior figure from Al-Shabaab, known only as Hanad, turned himself into security forces in the Bahdo district of Galgaduud region. Hanad, who claimed to have been with the group for over seven years, contacted army officers to express his willingness to surrender, citing unbearable living conditions and relentless pursuits by the national army and local militias.
President Hassan Sheikh is reportedly relocating to Dhusamareb to lead the continuing offensive against Al-Shabaab, focusing particularly on the group’s remnants in the eastern part of Galmudug, including the significant Elbur district stronghold.
Halqabsi News
