Wednesday June 24, 2020
MOGADISHU (HOL) - President Mohamed Farmaajo has made changes in the military that has seen Navy and Land force heads swap positions.
According to the changes announced by Villa Somalia, Brigadier General Abdihahid Mohamed Dirir from the Land Forces will now head the Navy while his opposite in the Navy Brigadier General Abbas Amin Ali will now take change at the Land Force.
Villa Somalia said the changes are part of reforms in the security sector aimed at bolstering their efficiency in light of preparations for take-over of responsibilities from the African Union force, AMISOM.
The changes also come amid disquiet in the military over alleged delay in salaries. Soldiers from the 27th Infantry Division Sunday blocked roads in the capital Mogadishu claiming they had not been paid for several months.
Somali National Army (SNA) head General Odowaa Rage noted there had been technical hitches in the payment system occasioning the delays. He dismissed claims the soldiers had not ‘been paid for several months.’
The UN Security Council has set 2021 for major handover of security responsibilities from AMISOM to Somali Security Forces.
This timeline does not however amount to total withdrawal of AMISOM forces in Somalia.
Another 1,000 AMISOM troops left Somalia in March bringing to 19,000 the number of all AU forces in the country down from the initial 22,000.