The president of Jubaland State, Ahmed Madobe has permitted militias loyal to Barre Hirale to enter in the port city of Kismayo.
This announcement comes days after Jubaland troops battled with Barre Hirale’s militias outside Kismayo town.
Even then, there still hangs bad blood between the Jubaland administration and the Somali government. Somalia’s military officer, Abdirashid Moalim said that his troops are ready to fight back Jubaland troops.
There is already mounting tension in the outskirts of Kismayu town, headquarters of the Jubbaland administration days after Federal government forces and their Jubbaland colleagues fought in the area.
The standoff came after forces loyal to Barre Hiiraale started moving towards Kismayo, forcing Jubbaland forces to stand in their way.
Abdirashid Maalim Gas, a senior official in the militia allied to Hiiraale said that they were on a mission to raid Kismayu which he said was currently synonymous with civilian massacres.
Madobe maintains that he has a mission that will co-ordinate arms to fight elements of Al Shabaab militants in the area. This could explain his allowing entry of militias allied to a former powerful administrator turned rebel to the Somali national government. Hiiraale played a siginicant role during the fall of Kismayo in 2006.
Barre Hirale is a former Minister of Defense of the Somali Transitional Federal Government. Hiiraale was also the Chairman of the now defunct Juba Valley Alliance, which controlled Southern and Southwestern Somalia, including the nation’s third-largest city, the strategic port town of Kismayo.
There happens to be twisted conflict in Kismayo with the new Jubbaland leader forging new alliences with militia allied to Hiiraale which may turn against the Somali Transitional Federal Government for battle for Kismayo.
