Beletweyne – Lt. Col. Ahmed Adan Abdullahi once imagined himself in uniform as a boy in Djibouti. Years later, that childhood ambition has carried him to central Somalia, where he now leads Djiboutian troops on a demanding peace support mission.
Lt. Col. Ahmed is the commander of the 13th Djiboutian National Defence Forces (DNDF) Battalion deployed under the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) in Sector 4. From his base in Beletweyne, he is responsible for Djiboutian forces operating in Beletweyne, Buula Burde, Jalalaqsi and Dhusamareb.
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For him, the role represents far more than professional advancement. It is both the realisation of a goal he held from childhood and a chance to serve Djibouti while helping the people of Somalia pursue security and stability.
“I joined the military for two reasons: one is to defend my country by being part of the Djibouti National Defence Forces, and the other is that my ambition has always been to be an officer which I finally became one. I am grateful to God for this favour,” he said.
Lt. Col. Ahmed received his primary, secondary and tertiary education in Djibouti before travelling to Sudan for military training. His service in Somalia spans several years, including earlier African Union mission deployments in Buula Burde from 2015 to 2017 and in Dhusamareb from 2021 to 2022.
Those assignments gave him first-hand familiarity with the terrain, the security challenges and the communities among whom Djiboutian troops work. As head of the 13th Battalion, he now draws on that experience to guide his soldiers and carry out his duties across a broad area of responsibility.
His workdays start early and are shaped by the pace of command in a mission environment. The Djiboutian contingent forms part of AUSSOM’s wider support to Somalia’s security and stabilisation efforts, operating in coordination with Somali Security Forces (SSF) and local communities.
Lt. Col. Ahmed said Djiboutian troops have made significant contributions to security operations in the Hiiraan region and surrounding areas. Djibouti’s forces were first deployed to Beletweyne in 2012 and have since taken part in operations that helped liberate towns including Beletweyne, Bula Burde and Jalalaqsi.
Those gains, he said, came at a heavy cost. Some Djiboutian soldiers were killed during operations aimed at freeing towns and shielding communities from Al-Shabaab.
“Our forces lost many soldiers in the liberation of the towns,” Lt. Col. Ahmed said. “Up to now, the Djiboutian forces are standing with Somalia to defend, support and be with the Somali public to defend them against Al-Shabaab brutality.”
To Lt. Col. Ahmed, Djibouti’s role in Somalia reaches beyond combat operations. He said his country’s support is expected to continue until Somali security institutions are sufficiently capable of assuming full responsibility for national security.
He also points to the Djiboutian contingent’s close ties with local residents as one of its most important advantages. Shared culture, language and religion between Djibouti and Somalia have made it easier for soldiers to engage with the people they serve.
“The Djiboutian contingent is very close to the locals since they share the same language and religion. That has helped us a lot,” Lt. Col. Ahmed said.
For the battalion commander, the mission has become both personal and regional: the fulfilment of a childhood dream born in Djibouti, and a continuing contribution to peace and stability in neighbouring Somalia.
Source: AUSSOM
