Wednesday April 28, 2021
Beledweyne (HOL) - Special forces in Somalia have been relocated from Beledweyne to Mogadishu on Wednesday in response to heightened political tensions in the capital.
Roughly 100 soldiers boarded a private plane from Ugas Khalif Airport in Beledweyne headed to Mogadishu. It follows a similar pattern over the past few days where the government has withdrawn federal troops from Galgadud, Gedo and Hiiraan and relocated to the capital.
The Haramcad forces- or Cheetah - have been in Beledweyne for the past five months. Somalia's federal government sent the soldiers there in response to fighting in the Hiiraan region after the election of Ali Gudlawe as President of HirShabelle. General Hud denounced the election as a sham that violated the gentlemen's agreement between the two major clans in the region.
The withdrawal from Beledweyne comes on the heels of an outbreak of violence in Somalia's capital. Nearly two dozen people have been reported killed after government troops faced off with soldiers loyal to the opposition on Sunday. The fighting - among the fiercest in years - led to the displacement of hundreds of residents. Opposition forces are still said to be in control of several neighbourhoods in Mogadishu.