A former deputy leader of the al-Shabab extremist group has been named a government minister by Somalia's new administration in what some call a chance to persuade fighters to denounce violence.
Mukhtar Robow was given the post of religious affairs minister, the government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Tuesday. Not all Somalis supported his ministerial appointment, with some calling it disrespectful to those who lost loved ones in al-Shabab attacks.