Opposition politicians meeting as the Council for Presidential Candidates’ Union have said that President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and the Somali National Army (SNA) should bear responsibility for the Gedo clashes.
Earlier this week, violent clashes broke out in Gedo region.
The clashes, which lasted from January 24-25, pitted Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) soldiers against Jubbaland forces loyal to fugitive Abdirashid Janan.
Around 11 people lost their lives in the clashes while 24 suffered various degrees of injuries. Some of the most severely injured people were then airlifted to Mogadishu to receive highly advanced medical treatment.
On Wednesday, the opposition politicians said that Farmaajo and SNA were solely to blame for the Gedo events. Specifically, they mentioned General Odowaa Yusuf Rageh, the SNA Chief. In their estimate, Gen. Odowaa engineered the Gedo crisis.
Furthermore, the opposition politicians accuse Farmaajo of “arming local militia.” They also averred that Farmaajo has a history of “militarizing local conflicts” instead of “embracing dialogue” as a means for solving them.