The Somali military command is striving to ensure that the National Army and the *Macawiisley* community defense forces maintain their defensive positions in the Hiiraan region, amidst a fierce dispute between the Federal Government and local politicians.
The command fears that the forces might become entangled in the region’s escalating political tensions and align themselves with the politicians, elders, and community leaders who oppose the re-election of Hirshabelle President Ali Abdullahi Hussein (Ali Gudlawe).
Units of the National Army hailing from the local area, alongside *Macawiisley* forces that support the fight against Al-Shabaab, are currently operating in the region.
Key sources indicate that the Commander of the National Army, General Ibrahim Mohamed Mohamud, is making significant efforts to ensure that the armed forces and the *Macawiisley* of Hiiraan remain at their defensive fronts, thereby preventing the political dispute from causing a major setback in the ongoing war against Al-Shabaab. Politicians and traditional leaders from the majority clan of the Hiraan region—who have been holding a conference in Beledweyne in recent days—are working to establish an administration independent of Hirshabelle and to recruit local forces to oppose the planned “one-person, one-vote” elections in the region’s districts, through which the public would elect members of the Hirshabelle Parliament and local councils.
The political dispute threatening the future of the Hirshabelle Regional State is also viewed as a genuine risk to the country’s security.
The Commander of the 27th Division of the National Army, Lieutenant Colonel Ali Ahmed Hashi (Cagey)—who is facing pressure from the military headquarters in Mogadishu—is attempting to keep his troops at the region’s front lines, demonstrating that the forces remain independent of the conflict between national and regional leaders.
An official from the National Army headquarters in Mogadishu told Universal TV that withdrawing troops from their positions could undermine the chain of command.
The official, who requested anonymity, added that there are concerns regarding the regional balance of power, noting that the abandonment of certain locations gives Al-Shabaab the upper hand in the fighting on the front lines.
Al-Shabaab could exploit the vacated areas to retake territories from which they had previously been driven out.
The dispute between Villa Somalia and the political leadership of the Hiraan region has reached a critical peak, a situation that could impact the operational capacity of the armed forces. General Ibrahim Mohamed Mohamud, Commander of the National Army, is focused on strategically navigating the emerging political tension in the region, fully aware of the potential consequences this situation could have on the work of the military leadership.
