Somalia: Jubaland leader holds secret meeting with Garissa leaders

GARISSA, Kenya - Jubaland leader Sheikh Ahmed Madobe met with senior politicians and elders in Garissa County on Sunday ahead of the upcoming polls in the semi-autonomous region in Somalia.

Sources told the Nation that Madobe had come to lobby for support from his Ogaden clan, whose majority are also in Kenya.

The state is set to go to the polls next month. Several candidates from Sheikh Madobe's backyard are eyeing his seat beside other contenders who have backed President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo’s government.

The secret meeting sought to urge the local Kenyan leaders to support his re-election.

Osman Ibrahim, a prominent elder in Garissa, confirmed that he met with the Jubaland leader after pictures of him and Madobe were shared widely on social media Sunday.

But, Ibrahim there were no talks between him and Madobe on any issues concerning the two countries or the upcoming election.

Jubaland's capital Kismayu was captured by the Kenya Defence Forces from Al-Shabaab in 2012. It stretches along the entire Kenyan border, effectively creating a buffer zone with the rest of Somalia.