Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a
| Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a | |
|---|---|
| Participant in Somali Civil War | |
 |
|
| Active | 1991 – present |
| Ideology | Sufism |
| Groups | Multi-clan, though primarily Dir,Marehan & Habar Gidir |
| Leaders | Sheikh Ibrahim Sheikh Hassan (Head of State) (Guureeye) (Chairman) Shaykh Mahmud Shaykh Hasan Farah (Spiritual Leader) Omar Mo’allim Nur (Commander in Banaadir) |
| Headquarters | Abuwaq |
| Area of operations | Galgudug, Hiran, Gedo, Bakool |
| Strength | 5000 |
| Allies |
 Federal Government of Somalia Raskamboni Movement AMISOM
|
| Opponents |
 Harakat al-Shabaab Mujahideen Al-Qaeda
|
Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a (ASWJ) (Somali: Ahlu Suna Waljamaaca) is a Somalia-based paramilitary group consisting of moderate Sufis opposed to radical Islamist groups such as Al-Shabaab. They are fighting to prevent strict Sharia and Wahhabism from being imposed, and protecting the local Sunni-Sufi traditions and generally moderate religious views. During the civil war, the organization worked in cooperation with faction leader Mohamed Farrah Aidid.
Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a became prominent in 2008, when it took up arms against al-Shabaab after the radical group began destroying the tombs of the country's Sufi saints. The group opposes hardline capital punishment or limb amputations advocated by extremist interpretations of Islam, as well as laws banning music and khat. They oppose the tearing down of religious shrines and stoning.
ASWJ won large victories in central Somalia and controlled the majority of southern Mudug, Gedo and Galgaduud, as well as parts of Hiran, Middle Shebelle, and Bakool.
On March 15, 2010, the Somali transitional government and Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a signed an agreement giving the militia control of five ministries, in addition to diplomatic posts and senior positions within the national security apparatus. In exchange, the militia would lend military support against al-Shabab.
On January 18, 2014, Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a's leadership objected to the new Cabinet lineup named by federal Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed. ASWJ Chairperson Sheik Ibrahim Hassan Gureye argued that many of the new ministerial positions went to unsuccessful officials from previous administrations, so the outcome of their reappointments would likely be the same.
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