JidbaaleSomalia’s Defence Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur has warned the Jubbaland government that it will be held liable for any violent conflicts involving federal troops in the disputed Lower Jubba area.
The declaration comes as Mogadishu increases its fight against Al-Shabaab with a deployment of 1,000 foot soldiers to the crucial Raaskambooni district.
During a news conference in Mogadishu, Minister Nur underlined the federal government’s intention to destroy Al-Shabaab’s hold on southern Somalia. He denied charges that the army deployment threatens Jubbaland’s authority, calling such assertions “misguided and politically motivated.”
“These troops are fulfilling their constitutional duty to protect Somalia from terrorism,” Nur remarked. “Attempts to depict their purpose as an attack on Jubbaland are unfounded and unproductive. Any organization that approaches them with animosity will suffer the consequences.”
The deployment has heightened tensions in an area already beset with disagreements over governance and security. Jubbaland’s leadership has accused the federal government of undermining its authority, an allegation Mogadishu firmly rejects. The defense minister reprimanded Jubbaland authorities for politicizing the federal presence, stressing that such acts harm the national struggle against Al-Shabaab.
“This narrative undermines our shared fight against Al-Shabaab, a group that has terrorized our nation for too long,” Nur continued, referring to recent advances in Bulo Haaji, where federal troops inflicted significant casualties on the terrorist group.
The defense minister’s statements follow a surge of defections from Jubbaland state soldiers to federal troops in Raskamboni. According to video footage received from the Somali National Army (SNA) on Monday, 110 Jubbaland troops landed aboard skiffs adorned with the Jubbaland Police logo and surrendered to federal forces. A senior SNA officer greeted the defectors, stating, “You came in peace, and we welcome you as part of our own. Your salary will be secured. You are home, not visitors.”
Former Jubbaland state fighters sit on a beach in Raskamboni after surrendering to the Somali National Army.
