Sunday 8,Dec, 2024 {HMC} Hundreds of residents in the Beled Hawo district of the Gedo region staged protests on Saturday, opposing the reelection of Jubbaland President Ahmed Madobe and the entry of Ethiopian troops into the region.
The demonstrators, including traditional elders, community leaders, and youth, expressed their support for the Somali federal government’s plans in Jubbaland, following the deployment of federal forces to Lower Jubba.
“As traditional elders, today we welcome and support the decision of the Federal Government of Somalia against Jubbaland, the decision of the two Houses of Parliament to approve the one-person-one-vote electoral agreement, and the unity of the Somali nation,” one elder stated during the protest.
Ahmed Madobe, who has led Jubbaland for nearly 14 years, has come under fire for his resistance to Mogadishu’s push for a “one person, one vote” electoral model for 2026. Federal authorities have rejected his reelection through an indirect voting process.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud reiterated that the federal government’s focus in Jubbaland is to combat al-Shabab and not interfere with its internal administration. “The federal government has no plans to dismantle Jubbaland. Our mission is to liberate Jubbaland from al-Shabab. Ahmed Madobe has led Jubbaland for nearly 14 years, yet no district has been freed under his administration,” Mohamud emphasized.
The deployment of federal troops to Lower Jubba and the increasing tensions between Mogadishu and the Jubbaland administration highlights Somalia’s broader political and security challenges.
