Ex-South West leader Laftagareen urges Somali President Mohamud to step aside
In an open letter on Monday, Abdiaziz Laftagareen demanded that federal troops leave Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle. He accused Mogadishu of using force to impose its preferred order in South West State, where his forces have taken several towns this month.
Former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen has called on Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to step down, Hiiraan Online reported. He also demanded that federal troops withdraw from the Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions. He made the demands on Monday in an open letter to Somalis, opposition groups, international partners and political leaders. Laftagareen accused Mohamud's government of using military force to impose its preferred political order in South West State. He said the dispute began over constitutional amendments and Somalia's electoral model. By his account, he had pushed for a regional election after his own mandate expired. However, he rejected what he called federal efforts to decide when South West State should vote. Mohamud then sent federal troops to Baidoa to remove his administration, he said. The letter also claimed that al-Shabab and Turkish F-16 aircraft supported federal forces in operations against his administration. Laftagareen cited an alleged strike in Doolow targeting Gen. Mahad Abdirahman Adan, known as Mahad Shub. According to Hiiraan Online, the letter offered no independently verifiable evidence for these claims. Neither the Somali government nor Turkish authorities have publicly confirmed that Turkish F-16s were used against his forces. Laftagareen accused the federal government of falsely portraying his Dervish forces as al-Shabab fighters to justify…
Read more 3 min read