Somalia’s former president warns army rebuilding efforts stalled after Cowsweyne clash
Somalia’s army in pieces: Cowsweyne defeat still reverberates, former president warns
When Al-Shabaab overran Cowsweyne in 2023, it did more than seize a strategic town in central Somalia. The militants’ victory cracked open the fragile architecture of the Somali National Army (SNA), scattering frontline units, exposing command fractures and — according to former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed — setting back efforts to rebuild a professional force for years.
A rout with consequences
“Osweyne was where Somali forces were…