Monday July 28, 2025
Gedo (HOL) – Heavy fighting erupted between federal
government troops and Jubbaland forces, reportedly supported by Ethiopian
troops, from Sunday night into Monday morning in the Doolow and Beled Hawo
districts of the Gedo region.
Residents reported that Ethiopian troops attacked a NISA
camp in Doolow district on Sunday night and completely took control of the
facility. The number of casualties remains unknown as the situation is still
unfolding.
In a press release, the Jubbaland administration strongly
accused Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of orchestrating the recent
clashes in Beled Hawo and Doolow.
Jubbaland claimed that federal forces stationed at the UK
camp on the outskirts of Beled Hawo launched multiple attacks that caused
deaths, injuries, displacement, and property destruction within the town.
“For almost a week, the city of Beled Hawo has been facing
repeated attacks from forces stationed at the UK camp on the outskirts of the
city. Meanwhile, a person leading a group of terrorists who are not part of the
Somali National Army (SNA) flew a fighter jet belonging to Hassan Sheikh
Mohamud into the UK camp, at a time when most airports in the region are under
sanctions and civilians are not allowed to travel. This is a blatant use of
military force to control Somali airspace,” the statement said.
Jubbaland further alleged that troops acting under direct
orders from the Somali presidency attacked its military headquarters in Doolow
on Sunday night, calling it another serious escalation in the Gedo conflict.
The federal government has yet to issue an official
statement on the situation.
Tensions have been escalating between Ethiopian forces and
the Somali National Army, as President Hassan Sheikh and National Intelligence
and Security Agency (NISA) Director Mahad Salad are currently in Addis Ababa
for the UN Food Systems Summit.
The violence flared up following the federal government's
deployment of Abdirashid Janan—a former Jubbaland security minister—as the new
regional intelligence chief for Gedo. Janan arrived on Tuesday aboard a
military helicopter from Mogadishu, accompanied by senior army officers and
reinforcements.
His appointment sparked an immediate backlash from
Jubbaland-aligned forces, who reject federal control over the Gedo region, a
strategic area bordering Kenya and Ethiopia. Heavy fighting broke out shortly
after his arrival, with Jubbaland forces claiming they had retaken the district
headquarters and surrounding areas.