MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has once again dashed back to the frontlines in the Middle Shabelle region, just days after briefly returning to Mogadishu to receive African Union Chair Mohamud Ali Yusuf during an official visit.
The President’s repeated oscillation between the battlefield and the capital has raised eyebrows, with observers questioning why Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has not taken on a more prominent role in hosting foreign dignitaries. Mohamud has frequently abandoned military operations to greet visiting delegations, exposing a disjointed leadership approach as the country grapples with a resurgent Al-Shabaab insurgency.
In the latest scramble to stem militant advances, Mohamud traveled to the strategic town of Rage Elle, where he rallied a modest contingent of clan militias—visible in sparse numbers in released images—urging them to resist Al-Shabaab’s encroachment. His appeals come as the jihadist group makes alarming gains toward the town, threatening to undo fragile government gains.
The President’s military strategy has faced mounting scrutiny since his 2022 re-election pledge to crush Al-Shabaab within three months—a promise that now rings hollow. Instead, his administration has resorted to desperate measures, deploying thousands of troops, clan militias, police officers, and even traffic police in a frantic bid to slow the militants’ rapid advance toward Mogadishu.
The haphazard mobilization underscores the government’s faltering counterinsurgency campaign, with security forces struggling to hold territory against an emboldened Al-Shabaab. As the militants close in on key regions, Mohamud’s divided attention—between frontline theatrics and diplomatic formalities—has only deepened doubts over Somalia’s ability to reclaim stability.
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