Former Al-Shabaab combatants graduate from Baidoa Rehabilitation Centre

German delegates and other guests at the Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration Center graduation ceremony for former Al-Shabaab combatants, in Baidoa.

9 Aug 2016

Former Al-Shabaab combatants graduate from Baidoa Rehabilitation Centre

Thirty former Al-Shabaab combatants have graduated from the Baidoa Rehabilitation Centre in South West State of Somalia after completing an intensive rehabilitation programme.

The ex-combatants, who received vocational training and psychological support, expressed confidence, saying they were ready to contribute positively to the development of Somalia. It is the third graduation ceremony to be held at the centre since its establishment in Baidoa.

Ibrahim, a former Al-Shabaab combatant, said he was ready to turn a new chapter in life, thanks to the Baidoa Rehabilitation Centre. “We received full education. I was taught carpentry and tailoring. I can sew my clothes and those of my family. I can do carpentry work with ease, and make a chair, a bed and other household furniture. I am perfectly suited for such work. I can say I am ready to face the world,” said Ibrahim, one of the 30 graduates.

Present at the ceremony were representatives from the Interim South West Administration, among them, Minister of Interior, Abdirahman Ibrahim Satte; Minister of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR), Hassan Hussein Eelay and the Baidoa District Commissioner Abdullahi Ali Watiin. United Nations representatives, elders, religious leaders and civil society also graced the occasion.

The ceremony was also attended by a German delegation led by the Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa and the Sahel, Ambassador Georg Schmidt and the German Ambassador to Somalia, Jutta Frasch.

The Minister of DDR urged Al-Shabaab militants who were still in the bush fighting to lay down their weapons and join peace loving Somalis in rebuilding the country. “The former combatants have undergone rigorous business classes, electrical engineering classes, among other lessons at the centre. They have been given funds to start businesses. We expect them to successfully integrate and be part of their communities,” Mr Eelay said.

The Minister also thanked the German government and United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) for the continued support of the centre, saying the Baidoa Rehabilitation Centre had become a critical institution in the fight against terror.

Ambassador Frasch commended the ex-combatants for successfully completing the rehabilitation programme. “It is a wonderful project because it gives them the opportunity to learn some skills. Some of them told us they had no skills before joining the centre,” the Ambassador said.

Patrick Loots, UNSOM’s Chief DDR Officer observed that the former combatants were ready to be integrated into their communities. “This is a good start for ex-combatants and we are looking forward to support them in the future. We are also in the process of providing reinsertion jobs for them,” he stated.

Mr Loots noted that the enormous opportunities available for former Al-Shabaab combatants, will allow them to be valuable contributors to their communities and help bring peace for Somalia.

UNSOM has been at the forefront in rehabilitating ex-combatants and helping in the establishment of centres in other towns. The former combatants successfully completed the rehabilitation programme led by the Federal Government of Somalia with support of UNSOM. The initiative is funded by the German government.