DOOLOW, Somalia (Axadle) — Public anger spilled into the streets of Doolow and Garbahaarrey in Somalia’s Gedo region on Saturday, with residents denouncing what they called Turkish meddling in Somalia’s domestic affairs and pressing for an independent inquiry into an incident involving an attack on the home of General Mahad Abdirahman, better known as General Shub.
In Doolow, demonstrators accused Turkey of inserting itself into Somalia’s political and clan tensions, voicing outrage over the reported assault on General Shub’s residence. Crowds shouted slogans against the federal government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and demanded that those behind the incident be named and brought to justice.
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General Shub’s home was reportedly struck overnight in an attack involving a drone. General Shub and members of his family were said to have been inside the residence at the time and suffered minor injuries.
The Somali federal government has denied assertions that an airstrike caused the incident.
Video from Doolow reviewed by Axadle showed furious protesters carrying Turkish flags, some of which were later set alight during the rally, with participants saying the act was meant to condemn what they described as Ankara’s expanding influence in Somalia’s political and security affairs.
Mohamed Lafey, the Jubbaland district commissioner of Doolow, who reportedly survived Thursday night’s incident, appeared at the protest in the town. Lafey denounced the reported attack, calling it an assault on a sensitive site inside Doolow.
He vowed that he would “not forgive or forget” the incident and urged that those responsible be held accountable.
Similar protests were reported in Garbahaarrey, the administrative capital of Gedo region. Some demonstrators there also reportedly burned Turkish flags as they expressed anger over the developments in Doolow.
Some protesters additionally burned an Egyptian flag, underscoring wider resentment among parts of the local population toward what they view as foreign involvement in Somalia’s political and clan affairs.
The demonstrations mark a notable escalation of local anger and point to deepening unease in Gedo over foreign military involvement, Somalia’s internal political rifts and the influence of regional powers in the country’s security landscape.
