On Sunday, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre of Somalia announced a government reshuffle, appointing a new defence minister as part of efforts to counter the ongoing Islamist insurgency.
The reshuffle, revealed through a government spokesperson in a video posted on the official Facebook page, did not include specific reasons for the changes. Ahmed Moallim Fiqi Ahmed, who previously held the positions of foreign minister and national security chief, was named the new defence minister, replacing Jibril Abdirashid.
In addition to the defence ministry appointment, Barre also named Jibril Abdirashid Haji Abdi as second deputy prime minister and Abdisaalan Abdi Ali Daay as the new foreign minister.
The changes come amid escalating violence from al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-affiliated militant group, which recently gained ground in Somalia. The group had briefly captured villages within 50 kilometers of the capital, Mogadishu, sparking concerns about an impending attack on the city. Somali forces have since reclaimed those areas, but al Shabaab continues to advance in rural regions, challenging the stability of the government.
Al Shabaab, which has been fighting to overthrow Somalia’s government and impose its interpretation of sharia law since 2007, remains a significant threat to national security. As the insurgency continues, questions arise about the future of international security assistance to Somalia.
