(RTTNews) – Hundreds of Somalis staged a massive demonstration in Mogadishu on Monday, protesting against an Islamist militant group believed to be responsible for last week’s suicide attack that killed over 20 people in the capital city.

At least 21 people were killed last Thursday when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a graduation ceremony in Mogadishu. The victims of the attack were mostly medical students, and also included three government ministers. Some 60 others were also injured in the attack.

Though officials believe that al-Shabaab, the military wing of the Islamist movement ousted by Ethiopian army-backed Somali forces two years ago, was responsible for the attack, the militant group has issued a statement denying any involvement in the suicide bombing.
- Al-Shabaab and several other allied militants groups have opposed past UN-sponsored reconciliation efforts in Somalia, insisting that they will negotiate with the country’s UN-backed transitional government only after the AU peacekeeping mission leaves Somalia.

Presently, a 4,300-member AU force is struggling with peacekeeping efforts in Somalia after the militants turned to guerrilla warfare against the government and AU troops. So far only Uganda and Burundi have contributed troops to the AU peacekeeping force, which was initially planned with a strength of over 8,000.

by RTT Staff Writer

Protestors on Tuesday burned the flag of the militant group, marking the first public show of anger at the militant group that controls most of Somalia. Media reports indicated that most participants in the rally were relatives of the students killed or injured in Thursday’s bombing.

The al-Shabaab militants, along with other allied Islamist insurgent outfits, control large areas in southern Somalia, where they enforce strict Islamic law or the Sharia. Currently, the militant group is engaged in fierce fighting with the rival Hisbul-Islam group for the control of the southern port city of Kismayo. The clashes between the two groups erupted a couple of months ago, when fighters of the al-Shabaab group attacked Hisbul-Islam bases in Kismayo.

The two Islamist groups were united until recently in their fight against the forces of Somalia’s interim government and the AU peacekeeping troops. Jointly, the two control most of the country’s southern and central areas. The recent power-struggle between the two groups have raised concerns that the fighting might spread to other areas jointly controlled by them.

In May, the al-Shabaab and the Hisbul-Islam militant groups launched a joint anti-government offensive aimed at overthrowing Somalia’s interim government led by President Sheikh Ahmed. The Somali government, supported by militias opposed to hard-line Islamists, responded by launching a counter offensive, and pledged to retake the towns and villages captured by the Islamist fighters.

Recent reports from Somalia indicate that the pro-government forces have made significant progress in their counter offensive against the Islamists, and have managed to capture several towns and other important locations from the anti-government Islamist militias.

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