Hawadle clan chief issues sweeping call to arms against impending federal offensive in central Somalia

MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – The Hawadle clan chief on Friday issued a sweeping call to arms, urging members of his clan to take up arms in defence of their ancestral territory, honour and the Hiran region against what he described as rival clans exploiting the federal government’s name to advance their interests.

Ugas Yusuf Ugas Hassan, speaking from his residence late on Friday night, called on all able-bodied Hawadle clansmen, as well as members of other clans in the Hiran region, to assemble at his home and mobilise against what he characterised as an imminent federal offensive.

The appeal came amid reports that the federal government was preparing 1,500 troops stationed at the Hananbure military base in Galgadud region for an offensive intended to wrest control of Baladweyne from Hawadle clan militias, which seized the town just weeks ago.

The militias have been mobilised by former National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) chief Abdullahi Mohamed Ali Sanbalolshe and other Hawadle politicians opposed to the federal government and the Hirshabelle regional administration.

The political rift stems from President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s decision to endorse Ali Gudlawe, a member of his Abgal clan, for a second term as Hirshabelle state president under the ruling party’s banner. Hawadle politicians contend that the decision constitutes a repudiation of an earlier commitment by the president that a Hawadle politician would assume the state’s leadership in the next administration.

Tensions in Hiran region have intensified over the past 48 hours following reports that Djiboutian forces, which control parts of Baladweyne, clandestinely facilitated the entry of Hirshabelle Vice-President Abditah Hussein Afrah into Baladweyne airport aboard a logistics aircraft. The move further inflamed the already volatile situation, with gunfire reportedly reverberating across the town throughout the night.

On Saturday morning, some members of the federal security agencies appeared to heed the Hawadle leader’s appeal, defecting from the federal command and seizing control of Baladweyne airport. They vowed to bar any federal government or Hirshabelle official from landing at the airstrip.

In his mobilisation appeal, the Hawadle Ugas called on members of the Somali National Army (SNA) belonging to his clan, including serving military personnel, to abandon their federal allegiance and heed his call to defend the clan’s dignity, the Hiran region and territories inhabited by the Hawadle against what he described as an impending military offensive.

The appeal followed Sanbalolshe’s arrival in Baladweyne early in the day under heavy security protection from Ethiopian forces. Ethiopian troops were also sighted along the road connecting the border town of Ferfer to Baladweyne, providing security during his journey.

Sanbalolshe had previously warned that, should Mogadishu launch an offensive against his clan, Somali army personnel belonging to the Hawadle would refuse to fight their fellow clansmen and would instead defect.

Meanwhile, a mass mobilisation of militias continued in Baladweyne on Saturday, with heavily armed fighters gathering outside the Ugas’s residence, where he had summoned clansmen to assemble on Saturday morning. The mobilisation suggested that his call had been widely heeded. Videos circulating online also showed members of the security forces who had defected to join their clan.

The Ugas appeared to invoke a supreme court ruling issued on Thursday, which declared that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was no longer lawfully in office and that both his term extension and unilateral constitutional amendments were unlawful.

On that basis, he urged Somali National Army personnel to reject orders from a leader he characterised as occupying the presidency unlawfully and without a legitimate mandate. He also issued a pointed warning to those who refused to heed his appeal, threatening that they would face the consequences.

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