The Government of Somalia approves replacing the head of the Army in the midst of the offensives against Al Shabaab

June 20 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Government of Somalia has approved the dismissal of the head of the Army, Odoua Yusuf Rage, in the midst of preparations by the authorities for a second phase of the offensive against Al Shabaab, linked to the terrorist organization Al Qaeda, after months of especially focused operations in the south and center of the African country.

“The Council of Ministers has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Defense for the appointment of the commander of the Somali National Army, a position for which Ibrahim Sheikh Muhyadin Adou has been appointed,” said the office of the Somali Prime Minister, Hamza Abdi Barre. in a message on his account on the social network Twitter.

Thus, it has specified that “the new commander of the Somali National Army has already held various positions at the military level, including that of commander of the Presidential Guard. Adou thus replaces Odaua Yusuf, who held the position since March 2019.

The Somali authorities announced on Monday the death of more than 40 suspected members of Al Shabaab, including two senior members of the group, in a bombardment carried out on Friday around the town of Jamame, located in the Lower Juba region (south ).

The terrorist group attacked a luxury hotel located in the capital, Mogadishu, a little over a week ago, an assault that resulted in more than 15 deaths, including a worker from the World Health Organization (WHO). Likewise, it has increased its attacks in Kenya in recent weeks.

Somalia has increased offensives against Al Shabaab in recent months with the support of clans and local militias as part of a series of decisions taken by the president, Hasan Sheikh Mohamud, who promised upon taking office to put the fight against terrorism at the center of his efforts to stabilize the African country.