Somali Navy Chief Suspended, Put Under House Arrest Over Graft Allegations

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: The Somali Navy Commandant Brigadier General Abdi Warsame Osman Maalin has been suspended and put under house arrest over allegations of corruption.

Somali National Army chief Gen. Odowaa Rage announced Monday that Brigadier General Maalin has been put under house arrest pending investigations over corruption in the Navy and the National Coast Guard.

“Starting today (December 26, 2024), Brigadier General Abdi Warsame Osman Maalin is under house arrest until the investigation into his case is completed,” General Rage said in a letter also addressed to the Coast Guard.

“The reason for this dismissal is corruption, and the work of the Navy and Coastal Defense Command of the Somali National Army will be continued by Lieutenant General Abdiwahid Ali Afrah,” the defence chief added.

The exact allegations against Brigadier Maalin however, remain unclear.

The Somali National Army has in the past been hit by graft allegations, including theft of food rations leading to suspension of aid by the U.S. government in at least two instances.