Somalia: SNA Loses Battle for Raskamboni to Jubaland Forces, Surrenders to KDF

By: Zakariye Ahmed

Nairobi, Kenya – Jubaland authorities have announced full control of Raskamboni, a strategic area in southwestern Somalia, following a fierce day-long battle with the Somali National Army (SNA) on Wednesday.

Jubaland’s Deputy Internal Security Minister, Adam Ahmed Haji, accused federal troops of attacking Jubaland forces using drones, though no evidence was provided to substantiate this claim. He also claimed that some federal soldiers surrendered to Jubaland forces, while others fled towards the Kenyan border.

“This morning, federal forces from Mogadishu in Raskamboni, using drones, attacked Jubaland forces,” Haji stated during a press conference in Kismayo, the interim capital of Jubaland.

In response, Somalia’s Ministry of Defence blamed Jubaland forces for initiating the hostilities. The Ministry’s statement accused Jubaland’s regional leader, Ahmed Madobe, of deploying troops unlawfully and collaborating with the Al-Shabaab militant group, warning of severe legal consequences.

“The Ministry of Defence has been closely monitoring Ahmed Madobe’s disturbing alliance with the Khawarij (Al-Shabaab). This alliance has allowed Khawarij militants to grant passage to the groups he has mobilised for assaults against the national forces. These treasonous acts will not go unpunished. Those complicit in these illegal activities will face severe legal consequences,” the statement read.

The conflict comes just weeks after Ahmed Madobe was re-elected as Jubaland’s regional leader for a fourth term in a contentious election held in Kismayo. The federal government dismissed his re-election as illegitimate, with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud reiterating this stance during Friday prayers at the presidential mosque.

Madobe, 73, first rose to power in 2013, a year after his forces, with support from the Kenya Defence Forces, drove Al-Shabaab out of Kismayo. His leadership has continued to be a source of tension with the federal government, as his previous re-elections in 2015 and 2019 were also fraught with controversy.

Former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, ex-Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre, and prominent lawmaker Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame have criticized President Hassan Sheikh’s decision to address tensions with Jubaland through military force. In a joint statement, they urged an immediate cessation of hostilities and a negotiated resolution to the dispute.

“It is unfortunate that President Hassan Sheikh, during his last speech at the presidential palace mosque on Friday, declared that the tensions between him and Jubaland’s leader, Ahmed Madobe, are political and related to Jubaland’s election issues. However, he insists on resolving the dispute through military force and a bloody war,” they said in their joint statement.

Source: Horndiplomat