Robow kidnapped and KDF bombard Gedo over bad policy, says Hassan Sheikh
MOGADISHU, Somalia – Former President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has once again attacked the administration of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, citing a series of problems which he says were triggered by bad decisions taken by the government.
In a Twitter Space conversation hosted by Axadledubbed “Democratization and post-conflict state-building in Somalia,” Mohamud, who served as president from 2012 to 2017, referred to Mukhtar Robow’s arrest, calling it one of the worst decisions ever. by the government.
According to him, the 2018 arrest made it difficult for senior al-Shabaab leaders to defect, calling his detention “kidnapping for political ends”. Robow was arrested in December 2018, had been under house arrest since June 2019.
Prior to his arrest, Robow defected from Al-Shabaab where he held the post of deputy leader and announced his candidacy for the presidential elections in the Southwest. The government blocked my arrest through Ethiopian troops, which led to clashes that left 11 people dead.
Al-Shabaab continues to control huge sections of central and southern Somalia, making it difficult for the government to restore order and stability in Somalia. The militants targeted innocent civilians and the security forces in their cowardly attacks.
But according to Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, “Over the past four years, Al-Shabaab has had the ability to collect taxes and extort business. During my tenure, Al-Shabaab was on the run. The group controls parts of the port of Mogadishu.
Previously, most of the group openly defected and joined government troops, but in recent months few have defected. The former president believes that the administration of Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has done little to encourage defections.
Farmajo, he noted, also abused the security forces for “transitional” political gains, which he said would set a “bad precedent” in the country’s political institutions. He now wants the security forces to “tame” Farmajo sometimes.
“During my tenure, my team never interfered with the judiciary or politicized the security sector. The security forces must prevent the president from doing this is against the law, ”said Sheikh Mohamud.
In addition, the former president dealt a blow to the administration of Farmajo, claiming that he had not encouraged good relations with Kenya, which led to the persistent bombardment of the Gedo region through the Kenya Defense Forces. [KDF].
Somalia last week accused the KDF of carrying out indiscriminate airstrikes in the Gedo area, resulting in the deaths of civilians. However, AMISOM has vowed to investigate the incidents before reporting, but Somalia insists that KDF must seek permission before bombing areas in pursuit of Al-Shabaab.
“Gedo is being bombed by Kenya because of bad policies and there is no need to send condolences,” Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said. “My administrator had established a strong and viable foreign policy based on zero external enemies since Somalia is fragile and cannot tolerate foreign interference”,
In addition, the former president also supported the United Nations report on Eritrea which involved Somali soldiers in the ongoing war in Tigray. According to the report, Somali soldiers training in Eritrea crossed into Tigray where they participated in the genocide.
“I am for a transparent electoral process in order to obtain an acceptable result. I believe in the UN report that the Somali soldiers fought in Tigray and the FGS can refute or bring back the boys,” he said. declared.
The government through Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble appointed a commission of inquiry to investigate the come. Although he denies any involvement in the Tigray War, Mogadishu admits that there are soldiers training in Eritrea.
The situation is so dire that even members of the opposition are asking for answers. Four people, including Farmajo and NISA boss Fahad Yasin, are said to have organized the training in Eritrea.
AXADLETM
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