Key Highlights
- Saturday 15th August 2015, a former Islamist warlord is re-elected as president of Somalia’s southern region of Jubbaland.
- The territory is partly controlled by Al Shabaab militants being fought by the central government backed by AMISOM troops.
- Ahmed Madobe elected for four more years by members of the regional parliament.
- The parliament that re-elected Madobe was to be disbanded in June on the ground it was unrepresentative and dominated by hand-picked members from Madobe’s clan.
- Madobe a former leader of powerful Ras Kamboni militia has fought against the al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab militants who fully control one of Jubbaland regions.
- Madobe has vowed to eliminate Al Shabaab from the remaining towns in the region; Jubbaland including the strategic port of Kismayu.
- Madobe promised to discuss with federal government and the clans on how they will solve pertinent issues through peaceful dialogue and reconciliation
Summary
Madobe and Barre Hirale, a clan elder, fought for years to control the city, which generates valuable revenues from taxes, charcoal exports and levies on arms and other illegal imports.
Hirale ruled Kismayu in the 1990s and into the 2000s until he was removed by Madobe, who was at the time aligned to the Islamic Courts Union that ruled Somalia until 2006.
Al Shabaab in 2011 took control of the southern part of the country until it was thrown out of Somali’s capital Mogadishu by the African Union peacekeeping troops.
The fate of Jubbaland and Kismayu is seen as a test of the central government’s ability in building a unified federal system and pacifying a nation fought over for more than two decades by Islamist rebels and warlords.
when you have messy type of warfare , you look for a messy type of warfare solution , a positive step .
That’s the mistake the united States did when they trained and delegated the same responsibility to Osam Bin Laden,now they have to live with the aftermath of 9/11.once a snake always a snake.