Somalia president, al-Shabaab leader give contrasting Eid Al-Adha speeches

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President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in a recorded video message for the Eid Al-Asha occasion called on Somalis to forgive each other. He urged wealthy individuals to give a helping hand to the poor

The president urged the “misguided” youth of al-Shabaab to come back from their path.

“Come back to your people and your country, you do not have another country and another people,” he said.

The sun is setting on the Khawarij, he said referring to the militants.

“There is no future on your side. The future is on your peoples’ side. The days of the Khawarij are coming to an end. The fight goes on until Khawarij disappear.”

In the speech published state media, Mohamud urged all Somalis to encourage the youth to come back from al-Shabaab. 

“To those youngsters who were discouraged, and wrongly informed that if they come back they will be executed… if you come back you will not be executed. If you come back and ask for forgiveness you will be pardoned, and the government will work to create a living for you,” he said.

Mohamud said Somalia has been in difficult period, but now is moving towards betterment and development.

Meanwhile, the leader of al-Shabaab, Abu Ubaidah blames all the problems in Somalia on foreigners and local “apostates.”

He claimed in his speech that Somali jihadists have been fighting against US for 30 years. He said during the 17 years that AU forces operated in the country, the US, AU allies did not succeed to establish a secular government that can provide services and implement democracy.

“US failed to establish the kind of government it wanted in Somalia,” he claimed.

He says, every extension of ATMIS “will end in failure,” and told his fighters to “liberate” towns after AU forces finally leave.

He compared the offensive by the local fighters and government forces that started in 2022 to the US-backed Iraqi Sunni Awakening. He said “all the plots” against al-Shabaab “failed.”

“After two years, their arrogance has been defeated in the frontlines,” Abu Ubaidah said.

He criticised past agreements the Somali government signed with with US, UK, Turkey, UAE, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda; as well as debt relief deals with IMF and World Bank.

“Every agreement is illegal and will not be implemented,” he said. He told his militants to keep particular eye on UAE which he blamed for the war in Sudan.

He said al-Shabaab will continue the war until foreign forces leave the country.

He also reiterated that al-Shabaab is “ready to fight” against the MOU Ethiopia signed with Somaliland.

He claimed al-Shabaab has opened training centers “for those who want to defend Somalia.”

Criticised Somali government’s controversial move last month when its diplomats at the UN did not vote for the Srebrenica genocide resolution.

“They stood with Serbs crusaders who massacred the Muslims and dared to vote against Bosnian Muslims,” he said in the audio published by al-Shabaab telegram channels.

Somalia,News you won't read anywhere: Bariire FOB handed over

 

ATMIS Africa force in Somalia handed over the Bariire FOB to the Somali government (SNA). African Union forces from Uganda handed over their base in Barire town, Lower Shabelle region to Somali forces on Saturday, as part of the withdrawal of foreign peacekeepers.

In this third phase of AU troop drawdown, 2000 soldiers from the five contributing countries are expected to leave Somalia by the end of this monthAfrican Union forces from Uganda handed over their base in Barire town, Lower Shabelle region to Somali forces on Saturday, as part of the withdrawal of foreign peacekeepers.

In this third phase of AU troop drawdown, 2000 soldiers from the five contributing countries are expected to leave Somalia by the end of this month

Geo: 2°02'38"N 44°53'56"E

Abu Ubaida the Alshabaab chief to air out a message to his terror group today!Roadside explosion kills soldiers between Awdinle and Bardaale towns in Bay region

 

Early reports had indicate a military officer with the 8th battalion of Sector 60 is among unspecified number of soldiers killed in the explosion.Somalia government claimed gains in an operation against AS in the Bay and Bakol regions. However, two hours after that claim, the commander of the 60th division leading the operation was killed in an ambush conducted by AS on his convoy travelling between Awdinle and Bardale.The  convoy was hit by an  IED .

After this attack,the Alshabaab leader said he was to give an address today as indicated by posts in terrorists' tabloids and media outlets.The alshabaab posted that  it will release a new message from its leader, Abu Ubaida.

...let us all team up and fight terrorism....

FBI director makes a rare visit to Africa.

Christopher A. Wray, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, paid a rare visit to sub-Saharan Africa this week to discuss counterterrorism strategies with regional partners at a time when both the Islamic State and Al Qaeda are gaining momentum on the continent.

Mr. Wray, who met with officials in Kenya and Nigeria, repeated his warning that the United States and its allies worldwide are “operating in a heightened threat environment” that has been energized by the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

“The main reason for my visit to both countries was to raise awareness about threats on the continent that have serious implications for the U.S. homeland but that don’t get the attention they deserve,” Mr. Wray said in a telephone interview from Nigeria on Friday. “For several years now, groups like ISIS, like Al Qaeda, have considered Africa very fertile ground.”

Indeed, U.S. intelligence officials estimate that Al Shabab in Somalia has roughly 7,000 to 12,000 members and annual income — including from taxing or extorting civilians — of about $120 million, making it the largest and wealthiest Qaeda affiliate in the world.

“Shabab is in many ways one of the most menacing foreign terrorist organizations out there,” Mr. Wray said.

At the same time, groups in West Africa that have declared allegiance to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State are on the march. Military coups have toppled civilian-led governments in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Niger. The new leaders have ordered U.S. and French troops to leave, and in some cases invited Russian mercenaries to take their place.

As a result, American officials are scrambling to work with a new set of countries in coastal West Africa to battle a violent extremist insurgency that they say is steadily spreading south.

The discussions in Kenya and Nigeria between U.S. and African officials this week, Mr. Wray said, centered on overlapping interests and ways to fight the common threats.

“Countering threats posed by groups like Shabab and ISIS is certainly more than any one agency or even any one government can tackle alone,” he said.

Mr. Wray’s visit to Kenya — the first by an F.B.I. director in 15 years, officials said — comes after President Biden last month hosted the Kenyan president, William Ruto, for a state dinner and pledged to designate the country as a “major non-NATO ally.” The move reflects the White House’s determination to deepen relations with the East African nation even as other countries — including Russia and China — are racing to do the same.

The F.B.I. has worked closely with the Kenyans since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks to track down Qaeda operatives. In 2020, the F.B.I. and the State Department helped Kenya establish a terrorism task force modeled on the ones that the bureau relies on in cities across the United States. It was the bureau’s first joint terrorism task force outside the United States, according to the F.B.I.

The F.B.I. also has agents posted at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi who investigate terrorism cases and other crimes.

In the Sahel region of West Africa, U.S. officials say they are changing their approach to combat an insurgency that is rooted in local concerns. Competition for land, exclusion from politics and other local issues have swelled the ranks of the militants more than any particular commitment to extremist ideology.

“When you look at the region, the Western Africa region more broadly, we remain concerned about instability and how that could have an impact on terrorist groups’ ability to exploit that situation,” said Mr. Wray, the first F.B.I. director to visit Nigeria.

“That’s part of why we are very focused on working so closely with our partners in Nigeria and some of the other countries to try to stay as vigilant as we can be,” he said.

The ISIS and Al Qaeda affiliates in Africa have concentrated their attacks in the region, rather than in Europe or the United States. Mr. Wray noted, however, the case of a Shabab operative who was charged a few years ago with plotting to hijack an airplane and crash it into a building

in the United States in a Sept. 11-style attack.

“Beyond the threat to Westerners and our interests here in Africa, we’re very vigilant to the possibility that their plans and intentions could shift at any point,” Mr. Wray said. “So while yes, these are ‘foreign’ threats, people in the U.S. shouldn’t think of them as issues that are a world away.”

Wazalendo claims to have captured several M23 bases and field intelligence officer

 On Friday afternoon,two Rwandese army trucks fell in an ambush at kabasha after Rwindi.They were carrying reinforcements.These two army trucks were seized by Wazalendo and several M23 men were killed including a field intelligence officer in names of Theo Iriho,who said to be an RDF element.

Today morning ,the FARDC and Wazalendo had occupied several bases of the M23 along the Rwindi axis as indicated by the video above.

This Saturday afternoon,2:15pm central African time(3:15 pm east African time)the Wazalendo laid another ambush on the M23 vehicle that was ferrying reinforcements.This ambush happened along tongo-kalengera axis in Virunga national park.Those who know this area can clearly understand.The video below shows how  the ambush went!

The FARDC drone reduces an M23 base to ashes.

  

There was an attempted attack on kanyabayonga yesterday that was repulsed by Wazalendo and FARDC .Today At 11:50 a.m. this Friday, the M23_RDF position in Kanyangohe, in the locality of Katsiru in the Bukombo grouping, has was  reduced to ashes by a drone strike. Some M23 survivors from surrounding positions are in disarray, says our source in the area.The sources specify that the fighting was concentrated in Bulindi, Muona and Kahohwa, near Butalongola, about ten km from Kanyabayonga. Detonations of heavy weapons heard as far away as central Kanyabayonga caused new displacements of the population who had just returned to the city. These clashes come three days of a relative calm observed on almost all the front lines of Kanyabayonga. A week ago, the FARDC regained control of several localities in the area including Kikuku, Lusogha, Butalongola, Kilambo and others. In retaliation, the M23 rebels  dropped at least ten bombs on the town of Kanyabayonga over the past 72 hours, causing at least ten injuries and two deaths, including a FARDC soldier and a woman. The FARDC must pursue the enemy and allow this population to return to their already abandoned localities in the Kanyabayonga grouping and even in the commune of Kanyabayonga. Security sources speak of an attack launched early in the morning by the FARDC and its Wazalendo allies against the rebels with the aim of dislodging the aggressors who has occupied certain villages for around ten days. In the territory of Masisi, in the chiefdom of Bashali Kaembe, since early this morning, clashes have been reported in Kalonge between the wazalendo and rebels . Some M23 survivors from surrounding positions are in disarray, says our source in the area. In the territory of Masisi, in the chiefdom of Bashali Kaembe, since early this morning, clashes have been reported in Kalonge between the wazalendo and M23 rebels.Our team is on ground and soon we will have photos and videos of those young souls who perished in this kanyangohe drone fire.According to proven intelligence sources,In bid to consolidate their power and defence, WAZALENDO Leaders have decided to get together. The Self-proclaimed Generals, GUIDON_SHAMIRAY and KABIDO met in BULEUSA in the Territory of WALIKALE to reflect on Strategies to put in place in order to stop the advance of the Enemies in the Territories of LUBERO and WALIKALE.

 Uganda has sent a contingent of 293 personnel to the Republic of Rwanda to participate in a field training exercise dubbed Ushirikiano Imara under the East African Community.

The three weeks training shall enhance the capabilities of East African partner states' armed forces, Police, civilian components and other stakeholders in jointly combating complex security challenges.

The Ugandan contingent  flagged off by the deputy Commander of Land Forces Maj Gen Francis Takirwa at Jinja based garrison to participate in an exercise aimed at enhancing readiness in planning war, peace support operations, disaster management, counter terrorism and counter piracy.

Speaking during the function, Maj Gen Takirwa urged the contingent to exercise discipline during the exercise.

"Conduct yourselves professionally and maintain discipline at all times while in the Republic of Rwanda to achieve the desired outcomes of the field training exercise," Maj Gen Takirwa.

Brigadier General Alex Olupot, from the Joint Staff Training and Doctrine, highlighted the exercise's role in fostering EAC's commitment to "Promoting cooperation with African countries which share common political, economic, social and cultural values and interests."

Brigadier General Fred Twinamasiko, the head of the  Ugandan contingent and chief evaluator, noted that the country's  involvement focuses on training partner states in peace support operations, disaster management, counter-piracy, and counter-terrorism.

The head of delegation Brig Fred Twinamatsiko revealed that this training is part of efforts by the East African community to strengthen and enhance the member states' armed  forces, Police, civilian components and other stakeholders to handle complex and multidimensional security.

The East Africa Community exercise Ushirikiano Imara is a rotational exercise between member states and it happens every after two years, the last exercise was held in 2022 at Gaddafi barracks in Jinja.

It is part of the East Africa Community Protocol on cooperation in defence affairs.

M23's radio already airing from Bunagana

 

Like we reported last week,M23 rebels have already launched a radio UPENDO_FM which broadcasts from Bunagana in Rutchuru in the province of North Kivu in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The broadcasts take place and some politicians come to participate in the various debates. Belinda Osca member of the community department of this rebellion chaired these activities.

Rwanda dismisses state minister J.Munyeshuli

 

Five days of fight for Kanyabayonga..Many youth he died!

 

For five days the FARDC and the M23 have been fighting around the town of Kanyabayonga in the territory of Lubero in the province of North Kivu. According to local sources, the Congolese army maintains its control over this strategic area. Security sources confirm that the rebels have been strengthening their troops since last Saturday and have simultaneously opened two fronts on two axes leading to Kanyabayonga. These are the Rwindi-Kanyayonga and Birundule-kanyabayonga axes. The belligerents used heavy and light artillery during these combats. Some detonations were heard as far away as Kirumba, more than 40 kilometers from the combat zone. While the fighting raged last week, the town of Kanyabayonga was emptied of its population. Men, women, children and elderly people fled the area. Since last week, the M23 rebels and the FARDC/Wazalendo have been fighting to control the city. The M23 have reinforced their troops since last week and tried unsuccessfully on Sunday to advance towards the city of Kanyabayonga by opening fire on two axes. According to testimonies last Thursday, May 30, 2024 in Kanyabayonga confirm that the rebels corrupted certain FARDC officers so that they could take the city but the Wazalendo came and repelled and neutralized the enemy. Results: 26 M23 dead and 10 captured, among whom we have 2 rebels of Kenyan nationality

.More than 65 RDF terrorists were killed, including a lieutenant-colonel of the special forces of the Rwandan army, 75 injured by the bombings of the FARDC and the SADC around Saké For several days the presence of the Kenyan elements has been confirmed alongside M23 terrorists, Kenyan elements captured and others killed.At 3:20 p.m. the Fardc remotely bombed the M23_RDF elements who were meeting at the edge of JTN in the locality of Katsiru in the Bukombo grouping, Bwito chiefdom in the territory of Rutshuru. Details to follow... Calm is observed this evening in the town of Kanyabayonga which remains under FARDC control after intense fighting all day about 15km from this town.In another report,the Wazalendo are calling all civikians of the great north of north Kivu to join hands with the Wazalendo to fight against the rwandese infiltration.

In Rwanda,parents have been burying their beloved sons,mothers have become childless,children have become orphans and wives he becomes widows.There is great lamentation and sorrow all over the social media from Rwanda.