Tuesday August 12, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s defense ministry has accused
forces loyal to Jubbaland President Ahmed Madobe of launching attacks on army
positions in the Gedo region, triggering deadly clashes on Monday that left
multiple soldiers dead, including a senior Jubbaland police commander.
In a statement, the ministry said fighting erupted in Tuulo
Aamin, near Balad Hawo airfield, after Jubbaland forces under Madobe’s command
attacked Somali National Army (SNA) positions. The clashes left two SNA
soldiers dead — identified as Mohamed Hassan Guutaale and Dable Ali Muxumed
Gooni — and three others wounded. The injured soldiers are being treated in
medical facilities.
The ministry said government troops have now seized the
Jubbaland military camp in the area and are “fully engaged in ensuring
security, maintaining stability, and protecting the people” in Gedo. It called
on Jubbaland fighters to surrender, accusing Madobe of “inciting war in the
Gedo region” and misleading his forces.
Among those killed in the clashes was Colonel Hussein Giif,
Jubbaland’s police commander in Gedo, according to multiple security sources.
Jubbaland’s minister of internal security later confirmed the commander’s death
and condemned the killing, blaming federal forces and calling for justice.
The renewed hostilities underscore the deep rift between
Mogadishu and the semi-autonomous Jubbaland administration, whose forces have
clashed repeatedly with federal troops over control of the strategic Gedo
region along Somalia’s border with Kenya.