Gedo, Somalia – Gedo regional governor Abdullahi Shimbir has claimed that Ethiopian military forces stationed in Dollow have given Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) troops, led by former security minister Abdirashid Janan, a three-day deadline to withdraw from the contested border town of Beled-Hawo.
The ultimatum, according to Shimbir, marks a sharp escalation in simmering tensions in the Gedo region, a flashpoint of Somali-Ethiopian relations due to its strategic position on the border with Kenya and Ethiopia. Beled-Hawo has long been a site of political and military friction between Somali federal authorities, Jubaland state forces, and Ethiopian troops operating under both bilateral agreements and African Union missions.
The development comes just hours after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud formally received the credentials of Ethiopia’s new ambassador to Somalia in Mogadishu, an event portrayed by Villa Somalia as a gesture toward strengthening diplomatic ties. The juxtaposition of a public diplomatic exchange and a reported military ultimatum has fueled speculation over the stability of relations between the two neighbours.
Neither the Ethiopian government nor the FGS has publicly commented on the alleged ultimatum. However, local observers warn that if unresolved, the standoff could ignite renewed clashes in a region already strained by competing security and political interests.