Jubaland, Somali National Army forces clash in Raaskambooni on Somali- Kenya border
Tensions have escalated between the Somali Federal Government and the Jubaland regional government since Ahmed Mohamed Islam was re-elected for a third consecutive term as regional president on November 25.
Jubaland regional forces clashed with the Somali National Army (SNA) in Raaskambooni, a coastal town on the Kenya-Somalia border on Wednesday.
The Jubaland regional government claims that its forces have defeated the SNA troops, who were deployed without their consent. Jubaland officials assert they now have full control of the area, reporting that approximately 240 SNA soldiers, including their top commander, surrendered, while around 300 others fled to Kenya and surrendered their arms to the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
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Tensions have escalated between the Somali Federal Government and the Jubaland regional government since Ahmed Mohamed Islam was re-elected for a third consecutive term as regional president on November 25. This move has been strongly opposed by President Hassan Sheikh Mahamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, who hails from Jubaland.
In response to Ahmed’s re-election, the Somali government took the unprecedented step of deploying SNA troops to Raaskambooni and parts of the Gedo region, threatening military action to forcibly remove Ahmed from office.
In retaliation, Jubaland announced it was severing ties with Mogadishu and dispatched reinforcements to Raaskambooni to counter the federal government's actions.
The clashes erupted today while President Hassan is in Turkey for mediation talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, facilitated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.
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