(Image source: Suna Times)

BY JING ZHAO

You're watching multisource world news analysis from Newsy.

Somalia’s al-Shabab rebels held a tight grip in Mogadishu for years, but early Saturday members of the al-Qaeda backed organization deserted the capital city. Here’s what the country’s president had to say to LA Times.

“...The country ‘welcomes the success by the Somali government forces backed by (African Union peacekeepers) who defeated the enemy of Shabab. …It is time to harvest the fruits of peace.’”

BBC reports, some analysts suggest the withdrawal might be because the Arab world cut off Shabab’s funding, but a group spokesperson called this retreat -- a quote- "change of military tactics".

“A spokesman for the African Union peacekeepers in Somalia said the force was treating the rebel withdrawal with caution in case it was a trap.”
 

The United Nations has declared famine in five areas of southern Somalia. Of the 12 million people in the Horn of Africa who need assistance, Somalia is the worst hit. Al Jazeera notes, deadly firefights over foreign aid makes situation even worse.

“There might be a famine in Somali, but there is still also a war. …It’s hard to understand just how much worse this fighting is making the already desperate drought. …The constant fighting has left a legacy of violence making aid distribution perilously dangerous.
 

Somali newspaper Suna Times reports, if Shabab really quit Mogadishu -- hope is ahead for Somali.

“…we could be looking at the possibility of the government actually controlling enough of Mogadishu to kill the most overused phrase in journalism, which refers to the ‘weak Western-backed government that controls only a few blocks of the capital’. Then again, al-Shabaab has shown time and again that rumors of its demise are usually greatly exaggerated.”
 

'Like' Newsy on Facebook for updates in your news feed.

Get more multisource video news analysis from Newsy

Transcript by Newsy