Jeyte picked to head Ma’awisley militia affairs amid build-up for second military operations

Immediate former Hiiraan governor Osman Ali Jeyte who played a key role in mobilising for the war against Al-Shabaab in 2022 before he was sacked this May has been appointed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to oversee the affairs of the Ma’awisley clan militia.

According to sources at the presidency, Jeyte will be in charge of the presidential department tasked with the affairs of the Ma’aswisley militia. The self-styled militia sprung up in 2017 against Al-Shabaab and later mobilised last July to fight the group before the government formally joined the war.

Jeyte who was then the governor of Hiiraan became the face of the war heading to the battlefront in various parts of Hiiraan region. He was later sacked in May this year following differences with HirShabelle President Ali Gudlawe.

The appointment of a presidential advisor as seen as a step in formalising the position and role of the clan militia all of which fall under the Ma’aswisley banner also dubbed Community Defence Forces (CDF).

This is also critical as the government prepares for the second phase of the operation which moves to South West and Jubaland states.