Somalia: Thousands protest Al Shabaab

In a rare rally against the radical Islamist group Al Shabaab, thousands of Somalis jammed into a stadium on Sunday in Somalia’s capital city, Mogadishu.

The anti-rebel protest was both a sign of solidarity against the Al Qaeda-allied extremist group and an opportunity to condemn the deadly suicide attack last week that killed at least 70 people, many of them students, according to Africa News.

The protest, under tight security from provided by the African Union peacekeeping force (AMISOM) and Somali soldiers supporting the Transitional Federal Government, was one of the largest in Mogadishu in recent years. The three-hour peaceful rally included speeches by top Somali government officials and performances of traditional Somali dances.

President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed spoke to the crowd about the suicide bombing last week and stressed that his government would not back down in the fight against Al Shabaab, according to Eurasia Review.

“Somalia is committed to reconciliation and ending these terrible years of chaos and destruction,” Ahmed said. “We will stand together to defeat terrorism and give our people a peaceful and prosperous future.”

Some found the rally highly emotional and openly mourned for those killed by Al Shabaab, according to The New York Times. Others condemned the militant group.

“I came here to denounce the Shabab’s massacre on the students,” said Halima Ulusow, The New York Times reported. “We have to oppose all the bad culture imported to our country by the Shabab.”

At least 70 people died and dozens more were injured in a truck bomb blast last week near a government compound on Oct. 4. Many of the dead were students who were waiting to gather exam results. The militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Al Shabaab announced a strategic switch in August from occupying cities like Mogadishu to increased use of guerilla tactics, according to the New York Times. The newspaper reported that last week’s bombing “was proof of their resolve to carry on an asymmetrical war, with no hesitation over slaughtering civilians.”

Somalia has suffered decades of fighting and has been without an organized central government since 1991, according to BBC. The country is now plagued by violence, a famine that has millions of the verge of starvation and a resurgence of piracy threatening international shipping in the waters off the East African nation’s coast.