Mogadishu (Sunatimes) The highest ranking Al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Godane has highly criticised some of his colleagues for giving up hope of victory and abandoning the struggle against the government and African peacekeeping forces in Mogadishu.

In an audio message sent to the media on the eve of Eid, Ahmed Godane said his fighters would keep up attacks against government troops and foreign peacekeepers despite the retreat.

He said their new phase of fighting has split people into two groups, with Al-Shabaab whom he called it ‘a faithful group’ believing in God’s promise that there will be a victory at the end and a hypocrite group that lost hope and believes there will be no victory.

The militant leader down played his group’s military weakness, claiming that they neither abandoned the fight nor weakened and promised to launch a new phase of fighting against TFG and Amisom, which he said will prove their military capability.

He added that they opted for guerrilla attacks against the government and African Union peacekeeping forces in the country, hopping that his group will emerge victory.

Godane however accused aid agencies and donor countries for using the drought situation in Somalia to convert people from their religion and colonise them as well as for trade purposes.

His comments showed the divisions within the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group’s ranks as government forces and African Union peacekeepers battled them in the capital, ultimately forcing them to withdraw from most of their bases there.

By Abdisalan Abdulle