Saturday February 8, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) – Somali Minister of Security Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail Fartaag has accused Ahmed Madobe, President of Jubbaland State, of obstructing efforts to eliminate al-Shabaab from the region.
Speaking in Mogadishu on Saturday, Fartaag characterized Madobe as a criminal and blamed him for last week’s violent clashes between Jubbaland forces and federal government troops in Bardhere district.
“Ahmed Madobe was not applauded for being the President of Jubbaland—I was his deputy. Statehood is about obedience, and Ahmed has abandoned that system. He becomes rebelled, and we will fight against him,” Fartaag declared.
The minister emphasized that his recent visit to the Gedo region aimed to counter Madobe’s influence. He also acknowledged concerns raised by residents in Bardhere and promised that a resolution would be reached soon.
Madobe, a long-standing critic of the federal government’s push for a nationwide one-person, one-vote electoral system, boycotted the latest sessions of the National Consultative Forum, which was intended to foster consensus on electoral reforms and address regional grievances. His withdrawal highlights ongoing disputes over federal authority and regional autonomy, with Madobe frequently accusing Mogadishu of overstepping its constitutional boundaries.
