Somalia names former al-Shabab deputy a government minister

By OMAR FARUK
Associated Press

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A former deputy leader of the al-Shabab extremist group has been named a government minister by Somalia’s new administration in what some call a chance to persuade fighters to denounce violence. Mukhtar Robow has been given the post of religious affairs minister. Not all Somalis support his ministerial appointment, with some calling it disrespectful to those who lost loved ones in al-Shabab attacks. Robow defected from the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab in 2017 and at first was greeted with praise by Somalia’s government. But when he tried to seek the leadership of the country’s Southwest region in 2018, he was detained.