With fighting continuing in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, the self-proclaimed government today announced that it is offering an amnesty to all fighters willing to surrender within the city. The offer does not extend to the massive number of fighters outside the city.
The announcement comes just days after the government declared “victory” in the city, and insisted that all of the al-Shabaab fighters had fled. Interestingly enough, the fighting never actually stopped, though it does appear that al-Shabaab has reduced its focus on controlling the famine-plagued city.
Al-Shabaab termed the move a change in tactics and not an actual retreat from the city. They also reiterated that they are determined to continue to fight the Transitional Government until it is removed from its modest position of power over small portions of the country.
Most of the recent focus in Somalia has been on the famine, not the fighting. The Somali government’s troops attacked a refugee camp last week, killing ten and reported looting much of the international food aid, though the regime insisted it was simply moving it to a safer place.