In a sharp escalation of federal-regional tensions, Somalia’s Interior Minister Ali Yusuf Ali-Hoosh has issued a decree appointing a new governor for Bakool and a new mayor for Xudur, bypassing Southwest State President Abdiaziz Laftagareen and citing security concerns and the push for one-person, one-vote elections.
Somali National Army forces are conducting a third consecutive day of operations between Waajid and Hudur, killing several Al-Shabaab militants, including a key operative involved in child recruitment.