MOGADISHU: Somali troops backed by African peacekeepers yesterday recaptured the last major port in Somalia held by the Al Shabab, removing a key source of revenue for the Islamist militia.
The move was another blow for Al Qaeda’s main affiliate in Africa and came just a month after the death of their leader Ahmed Abdi Godane in a US air and drone strike. The African Union’s AMISOM force, which draws 22,000 soldiers from six nations, said Barawe, 200km southwest of Mogadishu, fell without “much resistance from the terrorist group.”
“The terrorists used the port there to import arms as well as receive foreign fighters into their ranks,” an AMISOM statement said.
“The group also used Barawe to export charcoal to the Middle East, a lucrative multi-million dollar business that served as their main source of funding,” the statement said.
Provincial governor Abdukadir Mohamed Nur said the situation was “calm and the militiamen had fled before the forces reached the town”.
“They could not put up resistance and have emptied their positions,” he said. The Shabab exported charcoal through Barawe to Gulf countries, earning at least $25m (¤19m) a year from the trade according to UN estimates.
“What is very significant is that the ‘capital’ of the Shabab has fallen,” a specialist on Somalia said, requesting anonymity.
The specialist said that the Shabab, who also lost control of the strategic port of Kismayo in October 2012, now had no major town in their hands.
The Shabab have vowed to avenge their leader’s death and continue their fight to topple the country’s internationally-backed government.AFP
