Deputy Executive Secretary of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), who formerly served as President of Hirshabelle state Mohamed Abdi Ware, thundered against the Somali government’s plans to deploy Egyptian troops in the country, Caasimada Online news website reported.
“Why hasn’t Egypt come in the last few years while we’ve been here, and what are they seeking now?,” Ware said.
These comments come at a crucial moment when Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s inner circle is embroiled in an escalating divide, threateing to tear it apart. Members of Somalia’s political elite have not been able to see eye to eye with each other on the proposed deployment of Egyptian troops and the expulsion of Ethiopian forces. Puntland, Southwest, and Jubaland, among other regional officials, have voiced similar objections.
Ware has been a key ally of the current Somali President, having previously helped mobilize his clan against the Al-Shabaab in the Hiran region in mid-2022, which earned him the position of deputy head of IGAD. However, it now seems he has jumped ship, withdrawing support for President Mohamud by opposing him at a critical moment when the president needs allies rather than critics.//