Al-Shabaab fighters have 100 days to surrender and join the peace process, Minister of Interior and National Security Abdikarim Hussein Guled said Tuesday (December 25th).
Guled said any youth who surrender would be safe and taken care of by the government, Somalia's Shabelle Media Network reported.
"The army should welcome any defecting youth from al-Shabaab with open arms because the young guys have been brainwashed and misled," he said. "If they decide to join the peace-building efforts, let us welcome them."
The Somali government has repeatedly offered amnesty for al-Shabaab defectors, providing them with education and employment opportunities.
Guled said allied forces would continue their battle against al-Shabaab. "It is now obvious that al-Shabaab is getting weaker and that our forces, together with African Union Mission in Somalia forces, are getting hold of most of their strongholds," he said, according to Somalia's Mustaqbal Radio.
On Monday, al-Shabaab's representative in Benadir Sheikh Ali Mohamed Hussein said the group would continue to attack government bases in Mogadishu.
