A civilian uprising against Al-Shabab seems to be under way, with street demonstrations in Mogadishu on 7 December, and in camps for the internally displaced (IDPs) on 8 December. On both occasions the group’s black flag was burned.
The attack on 3 December, suspected to have been undertaken by a suicide bomber, killed 23 people, including three ministers in the Transitional Federal Government, parents, students, professors and journalists.
Although Al-Shabab is being blamed for the bombing, the group’s spokesman in Mogadishu has denied any responsibility.
Abdi Mahad, a civil society activist who organized an anti-Al-Shabab demonstration on 7 December, told IRIN the attack was "a wake-up call for all. Up to that point, everybody assumed they were fighting foreigners and the government, but we realized on Thursday [3 December] that they are at war with us; it was the last straw.
"They are killing our best and brightest. They are the enemy."
Mahad, who is a member of a youth movement in Mogadishu, said his group was planning more demonstrations against Al-Shabab, including one by students.
"We will do whatever it takes to stand up to them," he said.
Source: Africatimes