Mogadishu steps up anti-Kenya and anti-Ethiopia rhetoric, after debacle in South West State
Somali officials have in the last two days been stepping up attacks on Kenya for allegedly ‘hosting’ ousted South West State President Abdiaziz Laftagareen and his right- hand man Gen Mahad Shub – two leaders accused by the Somali federal government of coordinating their military campaign in Bay and Bakool region with Al-Shabaab.
Speaker of Somali Parliament Abdikadir Mohammed Nur Jama (himself from the region) launched a blistering attack on Kenya on Sunday for allegedly hosting ‘wanted terrorists’ and for destabilising south-central Somalia.
Similar accusations were also levelled against Ethiopia by pro-regime outlets.
The ENDF, based in the region, is accused of ‘doing nothing while Al-Shabaab takes Bay and Bakool.’
Fake pictures of Al-Shabaab leaders ostensibly operating freely within earshot of ENDF outposts were circulated by even usually cautious independent local media.
Umut Cagri, a Turkish national who operates as Ankara’s media influencing liaison for Somalia and Sudan has been posting on X claims Kenya, Ethiopia, UAE and Israel are actively supporting the insurgency in SWS as part of an alleged plot to dismember Somalia.
Similar accusations have surfaced in one notorious outlet flagged by media disinformation analyst Marc Owens (associate professor of media analytics at Northwestern University) as engaged in systematic disinfo in the Horn.
Villa Somalia badly needs to deflect the mounting bad press over the military setbacks in SWS where Laftagareen’s forces have in recent days captured five key towns.
Mogadishu has since designated both Laftagareen and Gen Shub as terrorists, frozen their bank accounts and assets and written to foreign states to follow suit.
Diplomats in Kenya and Ethiopia and possibly many other states deem the insurgency in Bay and Bakool as primarily political and are reluctant to accept Mogadishu’s terror labelling despite intense diplomatic pressure.
Nairobi has a long history of hosting dissidents and politicians from Somalia, wider East Africa.
The Kenyan capital serves as a safe, neutral haven for convening and organising legitimate democratic resistance.
Laftagareen does not fit the typical insurgent/militant profile. He was ousted from power by use of force and his supporters regard armed resistance as legitimate.
Kenyan authorities have fended off multiple direct pressure from Villa Somalia to surrender Laftagareen and Gen Shub.
Furthermore, Kenya and Somalia do not have a bilateral mutual extradition treaty.
Rashid Abdi
