Somalia’s prime minister has appointed the former deputy leader of the al-Shabab militant group, Mukhtar Robow, to the cabinet as minister for endowment and religious affairs.
Robow, also known as Abu Mansour, was in the Somali presidential palace on Tuesday as Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre unveiled his new cabinet.
The stunning development came a day after Robow was released from the headquarters of Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), according to France24 News.
Robow has been in detention since December 2018, when Somali government forces supported by African Union forces from Ethiopia detained him in the Somali city of Baidoa, to prevent him from running for the leadership of Southwest federal member state.
Deadly protests followed his arrest as his supporters clashed with regional forces leading to the shooting death of 15 people in Baidoa.
The selection of Abu Mansour for the cabinet post is an apparent attempt to put him in charge of ideological confrontation against al-Shabab. His new portfolio will put him in direct collision with his former colleagues as he will attempt to implement President Hassan Mohamud’s policy of waging war against al-Shabab on three fronts; economic, ideology, and military.
Other key Cabinet appointments include Salah Ahmed Jama as the deputy prime minister, Abshir Omar Huruse as foreign minister, and Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, who retains his post as defense minister,
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