Somalis Welcome, With Scepticism, Surrender of Senior Al-Shabaab Leader Atom

Mogadishu — While many in Somalia welcomed former al-Shabaab leader Mohamed Said Atom’s surrender on Saturday (June 7th), some questioned his motives and called on the government to come up with a concrete policy for dealing with former terrorist group members.

Speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Information, Atom told reporters he had tried “to be patient” with al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, but could no longer tolerate the group’s continued killing of innocent civilians.

“They have legalised [spilling] the blood of the Somali people who are Muslims and have legalised [spilling] the blood of the clerics who disagree with them over the correct interpretation of Islamic law,” said Atom, the second high-ranking al-Shabaab leader to defect to the federal government in the past year. “These are the biggest reasons [I left] and I ask for forgiveness for the period of time I was fighting in the Galgala Mountains.”

“Jihad is worship and is for God. It is something that is required of all Muslims as a united group. Ahmed Abdi [Godane] proclaims that jihad is something that belongs to him, therefore, he orders to kill, maim, detain [and] humiliate in the name of jihad until the rest are forced to flee,” Atom said, underscoring al-Shabaab’s hypocrisy and Godane’s obsession with power.

“Muslim people can have disagreements, but God has ordered them to refer back to the Qur’an and to unite,” he said. “It has been impossible to make [Godane] and his cohorts agree to those two things. They do not want the people to unite or to refer back to the Qur’an. Therefore, I suspect that they are not free from foreign interests.”

Atom urged youth who are members of al-Shabaab to turn themselves in to the Somali government and abandon the group.

“I want to tell the youth that a person who has abandoned al-Shabaab is not someone who has abandoned Islam, and the person who criticises their ideology is not criticising the religion of Islam,” he said.

Atom thanked the Somali federal government for its willingness to engage in dialogue and he vowed to advance his political and religious persuasions through peaceful means moving forward.

Somali officials welcome Atom:

The Somali government welcomed Atom’s decision to renounce al-Shabaab, calling it “courageous”.

“We hope that this courageous decision encourages those [still] with al-Shabaab to use it as an example and [decide] to contribute to building the nation’s unity and peace instead,” Somali Minister of Information Mustaf Ali Duhulow said at the press conference.

“Anyone who realises they are in the wrong and proves they have put down [their] arms will be given a chance to be reintegrated into society and be saved,” he said.

Puntland State President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali also welcomed Atom’s defection from al-Shabaab, saying in an interview with Voice of America Somali Service that it will likely encourage other fighters still in the Golis Mountains to come forward.

Puntland security forces have been battling Atom’s Golis Mountain Militia since 2010, and in February 2012, the group formally announced its allegiance to al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda.

In September 2013, locals reported that Atom had fled the mountains and that an individual by the name of Abduqadir Mumin had taken control of the group in his absence.

Meanwhile, retired Somali army Major Amin Ali Mohamed said it was imperative for the administration to be transparent and forthcoming in disclosing how they handle each case involving former al-Shabaab members in order to build and keep the trust of the Somali people.

“It is not necessary for the government to hastily extend amnesty to [former] al-Shabaab members, likewise there is no need to rush and prosecute them,” he told Sabahi. “There must be consultations in these matters [before action is taken].”

In considering what to do with former terrorists, the government should launch widespread consultations with clan elders, religious leaders, women’s groups and state administrations, Mohamed told Sabahi.

The government should also take into account Somalia’s international partners, as some defectors could be wanted by law enforcement agencies of partner nations such as Turkey and the United States, he said.

Somalis ambivalent about Atom’s motives:

While Atom’s defection is generally perceived to be a positive step in the government’s fight against al-Shabaab, some Somalis expressed scepticism and urged the government to use caution in handling such cases.

“When I listened to Atom’s statements as he spoke to the press, he seemed like someone who had no other way to escape the harsh rule of Ahmed Abdi Godane, who has killed other al-Shabaab leaders,” said Farah Salad, a public administration student at Mogadishu University. “Therefore, the government should hold Atom and others like him in seclusion and should not let them free among civilians until they are cleansed of their flawed ideology.”

Nonetheless, Salad said that welcoming defectors was good strategy for the Somali government because it could facilitate the disintegration of al-Shabaab.

“If things keep going like this, it is possible that the top leader of al-Shabaab Godane will surrender as well as he will be forced to either surrender or commit suicide if all his friends surrender,” he told Sabahi.

Deputy Chairman of Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa’s executive committee Sheikh Ahmed Abdullahi Ilkaase dismissed Atom’s apology to the Somali public, calling his speech a matter of convenience.

“We do not see him as someone who has abandoned his ideology and his beliefs … We just see him as someone who has had a disagreement with the people he worked with,” he told Sabahi.

“[Atom] still believes that al-Qaeda has been operating under Islamic law and that al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab are correct in their actions aside from Ahmed Abdi Godane,” he said. “Therefore, he is not a man who has surrendered. He is merely someone who has changed tactics and joined other men.”

Ilkaase said the problem is that the government lacks an adequate strategy to deal effectively with al-Shabaab defectors, particularly those who were in high-ranking positions.

“The government lets the fighters who defect from al-Shabaab free into society and does not jail any of the top leaders who surrender,” he said, adding that the case of Hassan Dahir Aweys is an example of what is endemically flawed in the government’s approach to justice.

“Hassan Dahir Aweys is under house arrest [but] he is still respected. He has not been sentenced. He is not facing charges and is not being prosecuted,” he said.

But Roda Hassan, a 27-year-old nursing student at the University of Somalia, said the Somalis should give Atom the benefit of the doubt.

“The public must understand that if one person repents and acknowledges that al-Shabaab is a terrorist group, that in and of itself is a victory that can be duplicated and lead to many other [al-Shabaab] officials and misguided youth to follow behind,” she told Sabahi

“I would urge citizens to be optimistic and support the government in helping those who want to get rid of their extremist ideologies,” she said.

Question: Should the government take a more hard-line approach to dealing with former al-Shabaab members and leaders?

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