Mogadishu (PP Information Desk) — If the reviews about “the deliberate appointment” of Mahad Salad because the Defence Minister of Somalia are true, the political scenario for Somalia could worsen. Mahad was the director of the Nationwide Intelligence and Safety Company (NISA) till he was changed by Abdullahi Sanbaloolshe earlier this yr. The choice to sack Mahad was associated to the intelligence-sharing settlement he signed together with his Ethiopian counterpart in 2022, earlier than Somalia signed a defence pact with Ethiopia in December 2023.
Mahad was tasked to submit a report back to the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, on the rationale for forming nearer defence ties with Ethiopia . Mahad really useful constructing on ties between the TPLF regime and the post-transition Federal Authorities of Somalia and highlighted Ethiopia’s position in forming the Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a paramilitary group, as soon as primarily based in Galgaduud, the stronghold of Mahad Salad.
Mahad accompanied President Mohamud on his go to to Egypt in 2022. Mahad’s tenure as NISA director was marked by nepotism, the place he employed officers chosen primarily based on sub-clan affiliations. “If he’s appointed Defence Minister, the chance of nationwide military matériel falling into the fingers of militias related to him is excessive,” stated a journalist in Mogadishu. The lopsidedness of the defence portfolio would pose a severe menace to Somalia’s nationwide safety, because the President, Defence Minister and the Commander of the Nationwide Military would all belong to the identical clan if Mahad is appointed. The poorly mentioned defence pact between the Federal Authorities of Somalia and Ethiopia nonetheless has the potential to tug Somalia into the vortex of the Ethiopia-Egypt rivalry, with Cairo aiming to deploy peacekeeping forces in components of southern Somalia.
This week, Ethiopia deployed extra troops in Gedo, citing the menace posed by Al-Shabaab and the Jubaland disaster as causes for sustaining its forces in Somalia. Puntland Put up has realized that the Ethiopian authorities has diplomatically invoked the defence pact with Somalia as a foundation for “defending its pursuits.” The Federal Authorities of Somalia nonetheless considers the defence settlement with Ethiopia legitimate.
© Puntland Put up, 2024
