On Tuesday, the Somali Federal Government rehabilitated the first group of local residents who have returned to their homes in Sabiid and Anole settlement in the Lower Shabelle region. In March of last year, Al-Shabab militants took control of the settlement following skirmishes, and in June, they displaced the local residents while operations were underway to drive out the militant group. The Somali Federal Government reopened the Sabid and Anole Bridge after it had been reconstructed. The al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, Al-Shabab, had destroyed the bridge before being driven out from the settlement. On December 6, the Somali Federal Government distributed food and provided health services to the residents who had been displaced from their homes. Later, they were informed that they could return to their houses in order to receive food aid from the government. The residents of Sabid and Anole settlement appealed to the government to rebuild their demolished houses in order to be rehabilitated. On Tuesday, the Minister of Defense, Mr. Ahmed Ma’alin Fiqi, accompanied by the Interior Minister, Mr. Ali Yusuf Ali, the Army Chief, General Ibrahim Mohamed Mohamud, and other military officers, paid an inspection visit to Sabid and Anole settlement. During the visit, they handed over newly built houses to the residents. Minister Fiqi stated that the government’s plan is not only to liberate the land, but also to restore the lives of the settlement by providing basic services. He also revealed that the rehabilitation was a collaboration between the Turkish government and the leadership of the Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) of the Somali National Army (SNA). CIMIC military officials distributed food to the residents to help them continue their lives. The delegation also visited the reconstructed mosque and playground, where returning youths can play. The Army Chief, who spoke at the ceremony, pledged to build a police station and a maternal and child health (MCH) center.
