Thursday August 21, 2025
FILE - Osman Nur Haji Moalimuu, newly appointed deputy governor for security of Somalia’s Gedo region
Kismayo (HOL) — Jubaland state president Ahmed Mohamed Islam, widely known as Ahmed Madobe, has appointed Osman Nur Haji Moalimuu as deputy governor for security in Gedo, a politically contested region at the heart of tensions between Jubaland and Somalia’s federal government.
The Thursday announcement comes at a moment of heightened tensions. In recent weeks, Jubaland and federal forces
clashed in Beled Hawo and Doolow after Mogadishu redeployed Abdirashid Janan — the
contentious former Jubaland security minister turned federal intelligence chief — to Gedo. The fighting left dozens dead, displaced hundreds of families, and revived the bitter contest over who truly controls the region. The clashes deepened mistrust, with each side pointing to the other
as the instigator.Fierce clashes have also erupted more recently. On August 11, federal troops and Jubaland forces
fought in Tuulo Aamin, a village near Beled Hawo on the Somali–Kenyan frontier. Residents reported sustained gunfire and shelling as federal soldiers launched an assault on Jubaland fighters massing in the area. The battle came just days after federal forces seized control of Balad Hawo town, deepening mistrust as each side accused the other of provoking the violence.
Moalimuu once held the governorship of Gedo and is seen as one of its most influential figures. Locals and analysts alike describe him as a firm hand and a man of standing in the region. Supporters believe he could help steady Gedo’s fragile security, but his alignment with Jubaland also threatens to sharpen the rift with Mogadishu.
His new role is viewed as part of Madobe’s calculated push to reassert Jubaland’s hold over Gedo, a restive borderland that has repeatedly strained ties with Mogadishu. The federal government insists it retains jurisdiction over the region, while Jubaland counters that the center is interfering in its internal affairs. The ensuing tug-of-war has turned Gedo into one of Somalia’s
most combustible flashpoints.Moalimuu is no stranger to Gedo’s volatile politics. In 2020, he represented the federal government during bloody clashes in Beled Hawo against Jubaland forces loyal to Abdirashid Janan, the state’s then-security minister. The fighting left heavy casualties and laid bare the depth of the rupture between the two administrations. That he now returns under Jubaland’s banner signals not only a striking personal realignment but also the fluid loyalties that continue to shape Somali politics.
Ethiopian involvement has further complicated the conflict. In December 2024, Ethiopian and Jubaland forces
seized control of Doolow after heavy fighting with Somali army units, prompting residents to
stage protests against both Madobe and the presence of Ethiopian troops. The episode illustrated how Gedo’s instability extends beyond Somalia’s borders, drawing in regional actors whose interventions often inflame rather than resolve tensions.
Moalimuu’s appointment reflects the shifting loyalties that have come to define Somali politics. His move from representing the federal government in 2020 to taking up a senior post within Jubaland now captures the fluidity of power in one of Somalia’s most contested regions. Some interpret the decision as a tentative step toward reconciliation; others see it as a calculated effort by Jubaland to tighten its grip on Gedo.