Settle Yemen crisis to help Somalia: PM tells UN
Ending the crisis in Yemen is crucial to
prevent Islamic State jihadists from shoring
up Somalia’s weakened Shebab, Somalia’s
prime minister said Monday.
Prime Minister Omar Sharmarke told a
special session of the UN Security Council
on Somalia that the Shebab’s recent
pledges of allegiance to IS are “not to be
taken lightly.”
“Resolution of the crisis in Yemen is
crucial,” he said.
“Such will go a long way in keeping Al-
Shebab from accruing support from ISIS,
using Yemen as a conduit or launching
pad.”
The Shebab, meaning “youth” in Arabic,
emerged out of an insurgency against
Ethiopia, whose troops entered Somalia
in a 2006 US-backed invasion to topple
the Islamic Courts Union that was then
controlling the capital Mogadishu.
Since their rout from Mogadishu in
mid-2011, the Shebab have been
significantly weakened, but several hotel
attacks including a car bombing on the
Sahafi hotel this month have highlighted
the ongoing threat.
“Complex attacks against hotels are now
an indication that though Somalia and
its international partners have won the
battles against Al-Shebab, they have yet
to be demolished,” said Sharmarke.
Last month, Somalia’s president called
on Shebab fighters to surrender amid
reports some factions had shifted
allegiance from Al-Qaeda to IS.
Sharmarke cited the Shebab’s “recent
proclamation of allegiance to ISIS” as a
worrisome sign and said Somalia
“cannot afford to have a space for ISIS
to exploit”.
The prime minister called for
international support to build up the
security forces, which are backed by
African Union troops.
Yemen has been engulfed in turmoil
since a Saudi-led coalition launched air
strikes eight months ago to push back an
advance by Huthi rebels and restore the
authority of the president.
IS fighters carried out attacks in the
southern Yemeni city of Aden last month,
raising fears that the group was seizing
on the recent turmoil to expand its
foothold in Yemen.
The United Nations has been trying for
months to get peace talks between the
Saudi-backed Yemeni government and
the Huthi rebels off the ground, but no
date has been set for the negotiations
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