Somalia sacks police boss amid Al-Shabaab raids in Mogadishu

Abdi Hassan Hijaar, outgoing police boss [File photo]

MOGADISHU, Somalia - General Abdi Hijar, the long-serving Somalia police boss, was on Thursday sacked by the Cabinet Council, in the latest changes targeting the security sector under the administration of President Hassan Sheikh, who has vowed to return the country to former "glory".

The cabinet replaced General Hijaar with General Sulub Ahmed Firin, ending a long era, that was eclipsed by demonstrations, detentions, and assassinations of high-profile people. General Hijaar was predominant during the era of Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, who was dethroned last year.

Hijaar hails from the Sool region of Puntland which has been under the breakaway region of Somaliland since 2007.

The new boss comes from Jubaland state. The appointment comes days after Al-Shabaab attacked the office of the mayor of Mogadishu, leading to the death of six civilians in the country, and raising questions about security lapses in the country.

So far, the cabinet is yet to release a formal statement regarding the appointment, despite the state-owned media reporting announcing Hijar’s sacking. Police in Mogadishu has failed in security due to incompetence. 

The cropping up of Al-Shabaab in the city and attacks on security forces have been major security concerns in the country. Al-Shabaab has, however, lost strategic towns across the country with the most recent being Gal'ad and Haradhere in the central part of Somalia.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared a total war on Al-Shabaab in 2022 and SNA forces reported on Wednesday that over 300 militants have been killed in the last week alone. General Hijaar could have been probably a victim of the leadership change in Somalia in 2022.

GAROWE ONLINE