AU force denies it was involved in arrest of ex-Shabaab leaderMOGADISHU: African Union peacekeepers did not help in the arrest of a former al Shabaab leader that led to clashes in which 11 people were killed, the AU force said, following a report that Ethiopian members of the force had been involved. Somalia’s Internal Security Ministry said it arrested Robow on Thursday, accusing him of bringing Islamist militants and weapons back to Baidoa, the capital of South West region. Robow’s spokesman had said he was beaten by Ethiopian troops, who are part of the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia, in the course of his arrest. Robow, a former prominent al Shabaab insurgent and group spokesman, publicly renounced violence and recognized federal authority in August 2017. “The South West election committee should postpone the election until there is a calm situation, free and fair, conducive for the election to take place,” Abdirahman said in a statement.

Source: Ethiopian News December 15, 2018 12:45 UTC