Kismayo local govt dismissed, growing military tension

[Hiiraan boy]

KISMAYO, Somalia May 13 (Garowe Online) - A decree issued by the Somali Ministry of Housing and Public Works on Sunday dismissed regional and local government officials in Kismayo, a strategic port in southern Somalia.

Deputy Housing and Public Works Minister Hassan Mohamed Omar’s decree accused officials in Kismayo of mismanaging public funds, failing to maintain order and looting government property, among other things.

The port of Kismayo, the third-largest city in the country, has been locked in a tense political and military stalemate since the battle of April 23 when government troops battled each other along clan divisions.

Hundreds of government troops and their commanders withdrew from Kismayo after that bloody battle. The troops are stationed in Bulo Gadud, a town 35km from Kismayo.

War weary residents in Kismayo are fearful that the Bulo Gadud-based forces would clash with government soldiers exclusively belonging to the Marehan clan, the group that gained control of Kismayo following the April 23 clash.

On Sunday, military tension between the two forces was as high as ever, with residents in both Kismayo and Bulo Gadud describing troop movements and battle-readiness on both sides of the conflict.

Deputy Housing Minister Omar’s decree also ordered local police to no longer take orders from the government officials who were revoked of their duty for a temporary period of time.

But observers say it’s not clear what effect, if any, the deputy minister’s decree will have on officials in Kismayo.

Both the governor of Lower Jubba region and the Kismayo city mayor are encamped with the troops in Bulo Gadud, but the deputy governor, a Marehan clansman, has remained in Kismayo and is one of the top officials accused in the decree.

An attempt by the Somali transitional government to intervene between the warring sub-clans in the Kismayo saga earlier this month failed to secure an agreement as both parties stuck to strict conditions.