Somalia: Govt dispatches more troops to Jubaland amid simmering tension

KISMAYO, Somalia - The conflict between the federal government of Somalia and the regional administration of Jubaland could take another interesting twist after the former dispatched more troops to parts of the federal state, raising speculations about possible clashes.

For over a week now, troops mobilisation from both sides has been reported, with Jubaland daring the Somali National Army (SNA) to launch any attack, arguing that they should not be blamed for retaliation.

The Federal Government of Somalia under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud accuses Jubaland leader Ahmed Islam Mohamed Madobe of conducting indirect elections, despite an agreement signed by a number of states approving universal suffrage of elections.

In what is seen as a strategy to push Madobe out of power, elite soldiers were sent to Raskamboni and El-Wak towns in Jubaland, but the federal government claimed the soldiers were replacing those in the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) whose tenure is coming to an end.

There were reports that the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) troops serving in ATMIS had indeed vacated their bases in Raskamboni to avoid taking sides. Kenya had sent emissaries to Jubbaland and Mogadishu calling for dialogue to end the stalemate.

Jubaland reportedly cut off telephone services in the vicinity of Raskamboni and has reinforced its security personnel in the area, raising fears of confrontation. Madobe gave federal troops a 15-hour ultimatum to vacate but nothing has transpired since the timelines elapsed.

Some sources told Garowe Online that Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre is set to visit his native Jubaland, raising more fears about a bloodbath as both parties maintain their firm stand on the electoral dispute. Madobe had won his third term in last Month's election in Kismayo.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is pushing for direct polls but both Jubaland and Puntland accuse him of inadequate consultations, arguing that such a model would at least lead to automatic unconstitutional term extensions for both federal and state leaders.

GAROWE ONLINE