Somalia’s former president says army rebuilding hampered after Cowsweyne battle

The defeat of the Somali National Army (SNA) troops in Cowsweyne has made it difficult for the country to rebuild a once-vibrant and dependable force, with the loss exposing divisions within the country's security institutions, according to former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.

In 2023, the Somali National Army was overrun by Al-Shabaab militants in Cowsweyne in one of the deadliest attacks in recent years, losing the battle to the militants a day after they had seized the strategic town from the fighters.

The loss, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said, destroyed the command chain of the Somali National Army and since then, rebuilding has been a toll order. The frontline troops were scattered, and reorganising them has proved difficult.

“Osweyne was where Somali forces were destroyed,” Sharif said. “Instead of rescuing the army, the government tried to distract the public by pushing through one-sided constitutional changes.”

And now, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed says, the government is 'obsessed' with arming clan militias instead of rebuilding the army, adding that the decision is equivalent to taking a major security gamble with serious consequences.

He said the policy risks corroding Somalia’s fragile sovereignty and further eroding the already weakened institutions of the state. In recent days, the government troops have lost numerous battles to Al-Shabaab in Moqokori, Adan Yabaal and Mahas towns.

The Cowsweyne battle left at least 178 people dead, according to the Al-Shabaab media, but the government said at that time that at least 130 people died. Most of those killed were members of the Somali National Army.

The militants carried off vehicles, weapons, and prisoners, while Somali forces, shaken and depleted, abandoned a string of Galmudug towns including El Dheer, Masagaway, Gal’ad and Budbud, handing back ground won only weeks before, officials said.

Rebuilding the army has proved costly, with multiple sources confirming that the US Africa Command has also withdrawn from the arrangement of training Danab Special Forces, alleging massive corruption within the leadership. Danab forces are an elite contingent of SNA trained and equipped by the US government.

GAROWE ONLINE