President Ahmed told reporters in Mogadishu on Friday that the illegal actions of the two infamous groups are making innocent Somalis suffer in the hands of immigration officials while traveling abroad.
“Due to the negative perception created by al-Shabaab and the pirates to the world, Somalis are not well received in international airports and countries,” he said.
“Pirates are kidnapping foreign cargo ships and crew for ransom money, that is portraying a bad image about the Somalis,” added the president, upon his return from just-concluded Africa Union Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
Somalis are often profiled both internationally and regionally. In neighboring Kenya, Somalis and Kenyans of Somali descent are regularly arrested over suspicion of being members of al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda and pirate groups.
A visibly agitated Ahmed lamented, “Al-Shabaab humiliates the dignity of our people, and military action against needs to be taken against them.”
The militant al-Shabaab is often linked to the global network of al-Qaeda that has caused havoc around the world. In recent past, suspected Somali pirates have been charged in many countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles, India, South Korea, Germany and the U.S.