Gen Odowaa: The difficult task for the Somali army chief

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud reinstated General Odowaa Yusuf Rage, a young Turkish-trained military officer known for a previous crackdown on opposition leaders in Mogadishu during the last electioneering period 2021-22.

The re-appointment comes at a time when the country is facing a political crisis over Villa Somalia's plan to change some points in the constitution for extension purposes which potentially frustrates the fight against Al-Shabaab. Rage replaced Gen Ibrahim Muhyiddin.

However, his second stint comes when the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) is transitioning to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and at the same time Ethiopia is embroiled in a conflict with Somalia.

Somalia is in a transition from ATMIS to AUSSOM where the army is expected to take a huge responsibility on matters of security by December this year. There is a conflict on which nation should lead the mission with Somalia preferring Egypt to Ethiopia.

The Federal Government wants to to replace Ethiopian troops with Egyptian soldiers in AUSSOM set to start in January 2025. Somalia and Egypt signed a defence pact in August this year, with Cairo delivering sophisticated weapons to Mogadishu that saw Addis Ababa raise readiness for war.

In the middle of the military transitions, there is a volatile political atmosphere in Somalia pitting the federal government and member states over the model of elections. President Hassan Sheikh is pushing for term extension through direct vote, an idea which has faced resistance.

Jubaland became the latest state to disown the extension plan, arguing that it would trigger unnecessary situations and political unrest. Puntland was the first state to cut ties with Mogadishu, citing a lack of adequate consultations over the amendment of the constitution and electoral issues.

Al-Shabaab remains a major threat in Somalia’s state-building process, targeting innocent civilians and security forces. Gen. Rage's appointment is not known if it change the course of the war on the militant group, which now regrouped and started attacks on military bases.

GAROWE ONLINE