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On April 10, 2024, Shahada News Agency, the official outlet of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen (Al-Shabab) reported that the group's spokesman, Ali Mahmoud Raji, had delivered a speech in the Somali language on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.[1]
The agency also published photos showing residents of Al-Shabab-controlled areas celebrating Eid and expressing support for Gaza.
Providing an Arabic translation of the key points of the speech, Shahada said that the spokesman congratulated Muslims and their "vanguard mujahideen" on the occasion of Eid, praying to Allah to grant them the virtue of the blessed month of Ramadan.
"Eid Coincided With Gaza Ordeal"
Commenting on the timing of this Islamic holiday, the spokesman said it coincided with a time when Muslims face "the great and painful ordeal," citing the situation in Gaza.
"This holiday comes at a time when the Muslim nation is going through a painful situation and a bitter reality; it has turned into a historic phase because it brought horror. This holiday comes at a time when more than 32,000 Muslims were killed in Gaza, and more than 75,000 others were injured in horrific massacres. And even more painful is that they have nothing to treat their wounded with while more than three million have been displaced from their homes, and they are being starved, bombed and humiliated at the same time."
"Gaza's Pain Is Our Pain"
Raji also stressed that the mujahideen in Somalia share the pain of the Palestinians, and they will spare no effort in supporting them and supporting them:
"We say to our Muslim people in Palestine, who are subjected to harm and aggression from the Jews and Christians aggressors: We ask Allah to reward you in your misfortune and to compensate you well. We share your pain, your pain is our pain, and by Allah's will, we will spare no effort in supporting you as we can and know that we have nothing but Allah Almighty to ask for victory and help. Let's pray to Allah and adhere by His great book and the Sunnah of his Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Let us reject everything that contradicts the arbitration of Sharia, such as democracy, communism, secularism, and the like, and all those who call for it."
Situation In East Africa
Discussing the developments in East Africa, the spokesman said: "If we look at our region in East Africa, this holiday coincided with the rape of parts of the Somali Sea by the Christians of Abyssinia [i.e., Ethiopia], and their mobilization of a large number of their soldiers who were brought into Somalia. This holiday also coincided with the enemy's redoubling of its indiscriminate bombardment against innocent people in southern and central Somalia, without anyone holding them accountable for their heinous crimes."
"Somali President Is The Worst In Somalia's History"
Commenting on the situation in Somalia, Raji condemned the Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Raji said that the Eid holiday also coincides with the "handing over of the reins of power by the enemy in Somalia to their worst and most despicable agent, who was the cause of poverty, war and looting of property and land, and sold his religion and land cheaply."
The official spokesman called the past two years of the Somali president's rule the worst in Somalia's history, accusing him of discounting the religion and of endowing the city of Jagjaga to Abyssinia [i.e., Ethiopia].
He further condemned the Somali president for "normalizing ties with the Jews and recognizing their rights in the occupied land of Palestine."
He added that the Somali president spent the past two years of his rule fighting shari'a and looting the money and property of Muslims, whether public or private property. He claimed that the president had opened the country's doors to companies and profiteers, signing agreements that enable them to possess the nation's property on land, sea, and air and "handing over the wealth of the Somali nation to America, Turkey, Ethiopia, the Emirates, Uganda, Egypt, and others, and worse than that, he opened the country's doors wide to profiteering companies that hide behind the debt forgiveness project."
Raji denounced Somalia's efforts to improve the country's economy, saying its projects with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the East African market serve the ambitions of these organizations.
"Mujahedeen Should Double Their Jihad"
At the end of his speech, Raji extended his Eid greetings to the mujahideen, urging them to double their jihad, saying: "In conclusion, I send from here a blessed congratulations to the lions of monotheism leaders and soldiers, who stood in the face of the enemy's campaign to fight shari'a in the Islamic states, your war against the government of apostate Hassan, and its allies."
Eid Photoset
Separately, Shahada published a photoset on the same day showing local residents of Al-Shabab-controlled areas in central and southern Somalia celebrating the Eid Al-Fitr.[2]
Photos also showed banners expressing support for Palestinians that read: "In solidarity with our people in occupied Palestine, we fight in Somalia while our eyes are set on Bait Al-Maqdis [i.e., Jerusalem]. Blood for blood, and destruction for destruction."
Other photos showed residents performing the Eid prayers, and women wearing the face covering known as the niqab.
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