Former Al-Shabaab commander denounces militant group and hopes to enter 'fruitful' talks with Somali government

Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansur prepares to address the media at the Royal Palace Hotel in Mogadishu following his defection from Al-Shabaab. Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Tuesday 15, 2017 

Mogadishu (HOL) -  With the Somali flag displayed prominently in the backdrop, the former deputy commander and founding member of Al-Shabaab denounced the Islamist militant insurgency group for their beliefs, saying that it was contrary to Islamic principles and hurt the country and its people.

Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansur made these comments and a packed press conference at the Royal Palace Hotel in Mogadishu.

Reading from a prepared statement, the former spokesperson of Al-Shabaab officially announced that he left the militant group and that they do not share the same ideology.

“I would like to state to the Somali people and the international community that I quit al-Shabab five years and seven months ago and that I’m not a member of the group,” he said.

"I left al Shabaab because of misunderstanding, and I disagreed with their beliefs which do not serve Islamic religion, Somalia, and its citizens" .

Robow also urged fighters within Al-Shabaab ranks to put down arms and defect to the government.

Mukhtar Robow was airlifted to Mogadishu after surrendering to government officials in Hudur, a town in the south western Bakool region of Somalia on Sunday.

Last week, Al-Shabaab militants launched an attack on Robow in his hometown of Abal which led to the death of 19 of his fighters.

Robow said that for the last five and a half years, he lived in the Bakool region where he repelled several Al-Shabaab attacks.

"I was living in Bakool and they (Al-Shabaab) attacked me there and they (Al-Shabaab) tried to kill me but I defended myself, by the grace of God I lived."

The defection comes after months negotiations between Mukhtar Robow and the Federal Government of Somalia. Prior to his firefight with Al-Shabaab, the Somali government confirmed they were in communication with Mukhtar Robow and hinted that they were warm to the idea of providing reinforcements to him and his fighters should Al-Shabaab attack him.

Mukhtar Robow was once a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). He was accused of being responsible for the planning and execution of deadly attacks that targeted Somali government and AMISOM troops. A $5 million bounty was removed by the US government in June.

During the press conference, Mukhtar Robow thanked the Federal Government of Somalia and its people for welcoming him to Mogadishu.

"I thank the Federal Government of Somalia and its people for warmly welcoming me in Mogadishu, I hope that we will pursue a path of peace."

He promised that the upcoming talks with the government will be productive and fruitful.

Robow did not take any questions from reporters and was escorted away by security forces immediately after reading statement.

One of the original founders of Al-Shabaab, Sheikh Mukhtar Robow diverged with the late emir Ahmed Abdi Godane (Mukhtar Abu Zubair) over the use of foreign fighters. The ensuing row split Al-Shabaab into two factions and eventually led to the death of American fighter Omar Hammami and the defection of Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys. Mukhtar Robow is the last “founding fathers” of Al-Shabaab.