SNA chief purging military to secure Farmaajo’s win-opposition politician

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: A purge in the Somali National Army which aims to secure outgoing President Mohamed Farmaajo’s win is underway, opposition politician Abdirahman Abdishakur has said noting non-loyalists are being condemned to the frontline to fight Al-Shabaab.

In a series of tweets Wednesday, Abdishakur who heads Wadajir party and also a senior member of the Council of Presidential Candidates said Somali National Army chief of staff General Odowaa Rage and SNA Land Force Commander General Mohamed Tahlil Bihi were leading the clearance.

“We have received reliable information that the Somali National Army are being divided into two groups namely those that are loyal to Farmajo and those whose loyalty to him is in doubt. The army chief, Gen Odowaa and the commander of the Ground Forces, Bihi are the ones working on this plan,” the outspoken politician said.

According to Abdishakur, those soldiers who do not toe the line are ‘sent to the frontlines to fight terror groups while those whose loyalties have been ascertained are being prepared to rig the elections and carry out attacks against opposition politicians.’

ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

The damning accusations by the former minister who is also gunning for the presidency could further build into claims that Farmaajo is banking his win on the support of the military.

The Council of Presidential Candidates (CPC) last month accused Farmaajo of attempting to assassinate their members using the opposition. It said the military attacked the hotel where two former presidents Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sharif Sheikh Ahmed were in downtown Mogadishu.

The accusations come ahead of talks between Farmaajo and the Federal Member State presidents expected to kick off this week. All the FMS presidents have arrived in Mogadishu for the talks.

Farmaajo’s stay in office ended on February 8 in line with the dictates of the Provisional Constitution.