MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre chaired an extraordinary cabinet meeting, where ministers decided to invalidate President Ahmed Madobe’s re-election, held earlier on Monday in Kismayo, about 500 km from the capital, Mogadishu.
The cabinet also issued an arrest warrant for Madobe, accusing him of violating Somalia’s one-person, one-vote electoral system and holding the Jubaland region hostage. If arrested, Madobe would become the first sitting president in the country’s history to face trial.
The cabinet ordered the Attorney General to arrest Madobe and bring him before Somalia’s Supreme Court to answer for his actions. Madobe, who has been in office since 2012, won his re-election through an indirect process.
Earlier on Monday, the Somali government airlifted hundreds of armed soldiers from Mogadishu to Ras Kamboni, about 274 km from Kismayo, where Madobe’s presidential compound is located. In his re-election victory speech, Madobe accused the government of sending these troops without his consent, describing their arrival as a direct threat to his leadership.
Reliable sources say Madobe has ordered his own troops to move toward Ras Kamboni to prevent the government forces from reaching Kismayo. He has instructed his forces to confront the incoming soldiers if necessary.
Jubaland issued a statement saying its forces are in a standoff with Somali National Army (SNA) soldiers deployed to Ras Kamboni. They denied any plans to take over army bases vacated by the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). The statement also accused the SNA of being used for political purposes.
During his first term, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud clashed with Madobe when the latter refused to step aside, allowing a new leader to take over in Jubaland. Despite several days of fighting in Kismayo, Madobe held his ground and has continued to lead Jubaland since then.
Political analysts believe Mohamud, determined to implement his vision for nationwide popular elections, will have no choice but to push for Madobe’s removal. Despite ongoing political tensions, Mohamud is championing a nationwide electoral system—a method not used since 1969.
Mohamud himself was elected through an indirect process, which he once supported. Critics have raised questions about his shift in position, noting that his predecessor, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, attempted to implement such a system, only for Mohamud, while in opposition, to reject it. Now, Mohamud is advocating for the very same system he once opposed.
