Jubaland’s Battle Against Al-Shabaab Undermined by Federal Government Actions

[Deeq A.]

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Richard H. Riley IV, the US Ambassador to Somalia.

Mogadishu (PP Editorial ) — The President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is ignoring the message of the International Community about the Jubaland political crisis. The US Ambassador to Somalia Richard H. Riley IV has put across the message candidly: “ … the US Embassy and the International Community we are watching the everything unfold in Jubaland, we are watching it, and we are very concerned about the trajectory of things in Jubaland. We have voiced our opinion unilaterally as the United States and multilaterally as the International Community. I think our message is loud and clear. The focus is on the stability and progress of Somalia and the people. You cannot go to an armed conflict. This cannot be a repeat of 2013 and 2019. You must not go to an armed conflict. That will not benefit anyone except the enemy — Al-shabaab” said the Ambassador.

In 2013, the Federal Government of Somalia sponsored Barre Hiraale, a former warlord, to destabilise Kismaayo and nip the Jubaland state formation effort in the bud. In 2019, the Federal Government of Somalia imposed an aviation embargo on Kismaayo after failing to influence the 2019 Jubaland presidential election.

In 2024, the Federal Government of Somalia sent troops to Raaskaamooni to overthrow the Jubaland administration. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud falsely accused Ahmed Mohamed Islam of dragging his feet in the fight against Al-Shabaab. The Jubaland president’s record of combating Al-Shabaab — from his role in liberating Kismaayo from Al-Shabaab in 2012 to liberating many rural areas in the Lower Jubba region — refuted the disinformation President Mohamud shared with worshippers at the Villa Somalia mosque last Friday.

The incumbent Federal Government of Somalia continues to damage Somalia’s national interest by committing time and resources to undoing state-building initiatives that prevent the emergence of ungoverned spaces in the country. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has dropped the ball. His motto, “Somalia at peace with itself and with its neighbours,” is becoming “Somalia at war with itself and on bad terms with its neighbours.”

© Puntland Post, 2024

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