Somalia on the road to ending presence of Al-Shabaab by restoring El Buur

Ahmed Adel

The strategic area of El Buur is located in the Galgaduud region in central Somalia and consists of five neighborhoods. It is considered one of the ancient historical districts in the country, with a population of about 100,000 people. It is famous for its pottery industry and enjoys the diversity of its tribal social fabric.

Al-Shabaab has dominated El Buur since the emergence of the military wing of the terrorist movement, except for the period between 2014 and 2017, when it was under the control of the Somali forces. It is the most important strategic stronghold of the terrorist Al-Shabaab movement.

The Somali army is working to end Al-Shabaab’s control over that district and is focusing its operations on the states of Hirshabelle and Galmudug.

Significance of restoring El Buur

The restoration of El Buur represents strategic dimensions, as its liberation means completely purifying and ending the control of the movement affiliated with al-Qaeda in the state of Galmudug, in addition to raising the morale of the soldiers of the Somali army. It also has an economic dimension, as the area represents a major commercial center due to its fame in the pottery industry, which would lead to the revival of the economy that has long been suffering due to the terrorist movement.

With the liberation of El Buur from the grip of terrorist elements, it will also turn into a command center for the Somali army in the southwest of the country due to the privileged location for providing equipment for the forces.

According to the New Somalia website, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud instructed the army commanders to liberate El Buur with equipment from special operations elements numbering nearly a thousand soldiers.

This April, Somali Interior Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi confirmed on Twitter that the government is working to restore El Buur within two months, without mentioning any other details.

Moral victory for the Somali army

Mohamed Ezzeddine, a researcher on African affairs, said that the liberation of El Buur represents a moral victory for the Somali army, given the great successes of military operations in the country.

Ezzedine confirmed in an exclusive statement to the Reference that the political leadership in Somalia is working to liberate cities and districts of strategic value, which help it advance the country’s economy.

He added that Al-Shabaab is witnessing great confusion during the recent period, which is shown by the tensions and defections that struck its ranks in light of the great progress of the Somali army forces, which makes the upcoming battle of El Buur seem almost settled in favor of the army.