A fierce critic of Farmajo arrested in Baidoa; minister escaped blast

Farmajo has been backing Abdiaziz Lafta-Garen who served as public works minister in his government which committed the massacre of 11 protesters in Baidoa during a pro-Robow demonstration in Dec 2018.

News Keydmedia Online
5 February 2022

BAIDOA, Somalia - Southwest state Security forces have stormed a hotel in Baidoa last night, detaining former Somali defense minister Abdirashid Abdullahi Mohamed, who is a vocal critic of outgoing President Farmajo.

Sources told Keydmedia's Somali Service that the regional troops without a warrant broke into the minister's hotel room and taken him to a police station, where he was interrogated for hours before being released on bail.

So far, Southwest state authorities have not commented on the illegal arrest of the former minister, who is currently in Baidoa city to run for a parliamentary seat.

Mohamed is a close relative to the jailed ex-deputy Al-Shabaab leader Mukhtar Robow, who is under NISA house arrest in Mogadishu since December 2018 in Baidoa by non-AMISOM Ethiopian forces.

Robow, who surrendered to the Somali government in 2017 following talks was barred from vying for Southwest state presidency by Farmajo after he emerged as the most popular candidate predicted to win the race.

Farmajo has been backing Abdiaziz Lafta-Garen who served as public works minister in his government which committed the massacre of 11 protesters in Baidoa during a pro-Robow demonstration in Dec 2018.

The move was part of Villa Somalia’s plan to install loyal leaders in all five Federal States that didn’t yield many fruits after failing in Jubaland and Puntland located on the southern and northeastern corners of the country.

Meanwhile, reports from Baidoa say that suspected Al-Shabaab operatives armed with pistols shot dead the Dar es Salaam Neighborhood Commissioner in Baidoa whose name was only identified as Abdirizak.

Also, Southwest minister Mohamed Abukar escaped unhurt from a bomb attack on his house in Baidoa city on Friday evening. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the premeditated assaults.

The local police still remained silent on all incidents that come as regional leader Lafta-Garen is in Mogadishu, reportedly working on Farmajo's re-election campaign as the presidential vote nears.

Lafta-Garen is hunting down political opponents of Farmajo in Baidoa, denying many, including ex-national assembly speaker Jawari a chance to run for parliament seats in the city.

KEYDMEDIA English