Somalia bans use of ‘al-Shabaab’ when referring to terror group

The Somali government has prohibited the use of “al-Shabaab” when referring to the al-Qaeda-linked terror group based in Somalia.

In a statement on Monday, the Religious Affairs Ministry instead asked the public to derogatorily refer to the group as “Khawarij”, meaning a deviant sect.

“By executing the orders of the nation’s leaders and recommendations from the religious scholars, the Ministry has banned the use of term al-Shabaab and only should be called them as Khawarij,” the statement read.

The ministry also barred scholars from engaging in dealings with the group saying as such acts amounted to treason.

The move is an apparent implementation of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s “comprehensive war” against Al-Shabaab.

A similar move in the past to call Al-Shabaab “Ugus”, a Somali acronym for “the group that massacres the Somali people”, was short-lived after the group warned journalists against consequences if they followed government directives.

Since his election, Mohamud has scaled up war against Al-Shabaab with the Somali army leading an offensive against the group in Somalia’s south and central regions liberating dozens of towns and villages from the group.