Somali president vows to enhance fight against Al-Shabaab

Somalia's newly elected President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (R) flanked by outgoing president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (L) address the media during the hand-over ceremony at the Presidential palace in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, February 16, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

MOGADISHU - Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, widely known as Farmajo, has vowed to work closely with the African Union mission to step up fight against terrorist group Al-Shabaab in order to stabilize the Horn of African nation.

Farmajo who held meeting with African Union leadership and ambassadors of Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) in Mogadishu said his vision was to flush out the militant group which, he said, poses the biggest threat to peace and security in the country.

"My vision is to defeat Al-Shabaab in the next two years. Hopefully if we work very closely together, we will be able to defeat the Al-Shabaab," Farmajo said in a statement issued on Sunday after the meeting.

"That is the vision I would like to see happen in the next two years to bring peace and stability to Somalia," he added.

The new Somali leader who was elected on Feb 8 said there was an urgent need to fight and defeat Al-Shabaab if Somalia is to achieve prosperity, saying his government was ready to play its role with the help of international partners.

Farmajo urged both the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the Somali National Army (SNA) to double their efforts, promising to be a true partner in combating terrorism.

The Somali militants have stepped up their onslaught on the government by staging near daily attacks on AMISOM and government bases including public places in an effort to topple the internationally-backed government.

Francisco Madeira, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, promised to work with Farmajo in the war against terror.

"We assured the President that we are with him in that endeavor and we are going to see how we can strengthen each other, cooperate with one another and harmonize our efforts to do exactly that (defeat Al-Shabaab)," said Madeira.