At least five people were killed on Tuesday following intense fighting between Somalia’s national army and forces loyal to the semi-autonomous Jubaland region, according to security officials.
The clashes broke out in Beled Hawo, a town located in the southern Gedo region, an area that has long been a flashpoint in the strained relations between Jubaland and the federal government in Mogadishu.
Somalia is made up of five semi-autonomous states—Jubaland, Puntland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle and South West—alongside a central government based in the capital.
Yusuf Ahmed, a commander with Jubaland’s security forces, told AFP that the violence erupted when federal troops launched an offensive aimed at seizing full control of the town. “I can confirm that we have lost two of our soldiers, and I saw the bodies of three attackers near the district administration headquarters,” he said, adding that Jubaland forces had repelled the incursion.
The governor of Gedo, Mohamed Hussein Al-Qadi—who was appointed by the Jubaland administration—claimed the assault followed the arrival of Abdirashid Hassan Abdinur, a former Jubaland security minister who now serves as the region’s intelligence chief. Abdinur reportedly flew in on a military helicopter shortly before fighting began.
“They did not succeed in their objective,” Al-Qadi said, noting that federal troops had been driven out of key administrative buildings in the area. Sporadic gunfire was still being heard near a military base to which federal forces had withdrawn, according to local residents.
In a statement, Somalia’s federal government blamed the violence on Jubaland’s regional president Ahmed Madobe, describing the clashes as a “criminal act” and accusing him of targeting immigration offices. Authorities in Mogadishu further alleged that the incident was part of an ongoing pattern of violations committed by Madobe.
Tensions between the federal government and Jubaland have been simmering for years and escalated further last year when Madobe held a regional election without federal approval, winning a controversial third term. The Somali government has since declared the election illegitimate.
