Somalia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Macalin Fiqi
By:Staff writer
Mogadishu – The Government of Somalia has announced plans to take disciplinary action against the leadership of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), accusing a senior official of sympathizing with the terrorist group Al-Shabaab.
Somalia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Macalin Fiqi, addressed the media in Mogadishu on Thursday, where he strongly criticized the ATMIS leadership. The Minister accused the official of “exaggerating” Al-Shabaab’s influence and portraying the group as if it were operating with the structure of a legitimate state.
Fiqi declared that the government would hold the ATMIS official accountable for his statements, which he described as misleading and dangerous. “The person leading ATMIS Sivuyile Thandikhaya Bam came to Somalia looking for money, and now he’s glorifying Al-Shabaab — we will hold him accountable,” said the Minister Fiqi
The controversy emerged after Somalia authorities reacted strongly to narratives they say overstate Al-Shabaab’s capabilities and threaten to undermine public confidence in the country’s security progress. Although no official record confirms Bam publicly made such remarks, Somalia officials have expressed concern over what they perceive as an alarming shift in how international representatives describe the militant group.
