MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s embattled navy faces a spiraling disaster as hovering desertion charges immediate harsh rebukes from authorities officers and spiritual students, who’ve labeled fleeing troopers “infidels” and threatened reprisals towards their households.
The backlash follows a sequence of battlefield setbacks towards Al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda-linked insurgency that has intensified its offensive in areas close to the capital. In a fiery declaration this week, senior authorities cleric Sheikh Ali Wajis denounced troopers who abandon posts after militant assaults, branding them apostates and calling for punitive measures—together with arrest, wage cuts, and dismissal.
His remarks have been echoed by Custodial Corps commander Mahad Abdirahman Mohamed, who vowed that deserters and their total households—”mom and father included”—would face arrest or execution.
The threats underscore deepening desperation inside Somalia’s safety equipment as Al-Shabaab exploits faltering morale to reclaim territory. Analysts warn that the navy’s eroding resolve might show disastrous.
“Excessive troop desertion charges and ‘refusal to struggle’ are often deadly warning indicators and unhealthy information for any military in fight,” mentioned Rashid Abdi of Sahan Analysis. “For a military battling a lethal and entrenched insurgency, ‘a disaster of diminishing will to struggle’ is probably catastrophic.”
Safety professional Samira Gaid condemned the officers’ rhetoric as counterproductive, arguing that vilifying troops solely accelerates demoralization.
“Wars are finally gained or misplaced by males—not machines,” Gaid mentioned. “But, the persistent tendency responsible frontline troopers for battlefield losses echoes the rhetoric of Somali political management. These disparaging remarks are heard by the very forces they anticipate to sacrifice their lives selflessly.”
She added that such statements “not solely proceed to erode morale but additionally permit political leaders to deflect duty for their very own very actual function in undermining the motivation and effectiveness of the SNSF [Somali National Security Forces].”
With Al-Shabaab advancing and self-discipline unraveling, Somalia’s navy faces a deadly inflection level—one which threats and vilification could solely exacerbate.
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