Saturday July 18, 2026
Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s second deputy speaker of parliament has alleged that senior security figures are helping organize and fuel unrest in the strategically important Lower Shabelle region, raising fresh concerns over stability near the capital.
At a Friday news conference in Mogadishu, Abdullahi Omar Abshirow appeared alongside lawmakers and ministers from Lower Shabelle and identified several people he said were connected to the disturbances. Those named included Gen. Abdalla Abdalla, the Somali Police Force’s second deputy commander.
Abshirow said the allegations had already been presented to both the Federal Government of Somalia and the Southwest State administration.
“We have evidence of plans to organize armed forces to operate in Lower Shabelle region,” he said.
He likened the alleged effort to the organization of armed groups in Sudan, while accusing unidentified foreign governments of financing activities intended to undermine security in Lower Shabelle.
Abshirow further alleged that the reported destabilization campaign could jeopardize Türkiye’s oil exploration operations in the area.
“The insecurity created in Lower Shabelle could affect security in Mogadishu, and we are calling on the federal government and the Southwest administration to arrest the people we named so that they can be brought to justice,” Abshirow said.
Gen. Abdalla Abdalla and the other officials identified by Abshirow had not publicly responded to the accusations.
Neither the Federal Government of Somalia nor the Southwest State administration had issued a comment on the claims.
Situated close to Mogadishu, Lower Shabelle holds major strategic value because of its role in security operations, agriculture and the transport corridors connecting the capital with southern Somalia.
