Al Shabab says Ethiopia’s withdrawal from Somalia will not bring peace

A Spokesman for the al- Shabab insurgents in Somalia said it will continue fighting the Somalia government even if Ethiopian troops withdraw from Mogadishu

This stance is a stark contrast to previous claims by the insurgents that other Somali-owned peace talks, after Ethiopian withdrawal, were possible to create a coalition government after Somalia’s 17 years without a government.

According to Radio Somaliweyn, Al Shabaab spokesman Muktar Robow said Somali government officials should be charged for war crimes. Muktar added that his fighters will “continue the Jihad” against the Somali government and against Somalis who support it.

Al Shabab is often considered as the military wing of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) and Muktar Robow has previously worked as ICU’s Deputy Commander after his service for the Taliban, based in Afghanistan. The ICU leadership is currently based in Eritrea; however, the Al Shabaab group has also shown its dissatisfaction with some ICU members who have allied with concerned Diaspora Somalis in Eritrea.

In contrast, Prime Minister Nur "Adde" Hassan Hussein has called for a broader reconciliation with the opposition, including with the hardline Al Shabaab. He opposed the previous stance of his government to exclude armed groups from the peace talks.

The Al-Qaeda linked ICU ruled south-central Somalia in 2006. It waged jihad on Ethiopia and stated its goal to annex Eastern Ethiopian and Kenyan territories before being overthrown by allied Somali and Ethiopian government forces during the first week of 2007