MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – Somali federal government has banned former deputy leader of Al-Shabaab, Mukhtar Robbow from running for president in upcoming state elections.
Mr. Robow was the subject of a $5 million bounty from the United States for his role with the Al-Qaeda linked Islamist group before he was removed from U.S. terror list last year.
Mr. Robow announced his candidacy for the regional presidency on Thursday in Baidoa town.
“I hereby inform you that people of Southwest asked me to run for the presidency of South West state. Today I announce that I accepted it and I will contest,” he said.
In a statement, Somali ministry for Interior said Mr. Robow is not eligible to run for the top office of the South West region, noting that the former leader of Al-Shabaab is still under international sanctions.
“The decision (to ban Mr. Robow from contesting) taken by the Ministry is based on an agreement with the international community on the lifting of all sanctions on Robow including movement and economic sanctions and sanctions by Interpol, therefore Mr. Mukhtar Robow (Abu-Mansur) has fulfilled all conditions necessary to lift sanctions.,” the statement reads in part. “And all these blocked Mr. Robow to run for the presidency of Southwest state.”
Mr. Robow defected to the federal government late last year after his split with former Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane five years ago that led him to seek safety in his hometown in Somalia’s Southwest Bakool region.
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