We hear that after annoying Hassan Sheikh by taking visits from President Muse Bihi Abdi of Somaliland and Puntland's President Said Abdullahi Dani he will invite South West State's President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed 'Lafta Gareen' to the Ethiopian capital...
Hassan Sheikh also visited Baydhabo on 18 and 19 October to assure the South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed 'Lafta Gareen' of his full support and to encourage him to open operations against Al Shabaab in Bakool with the aim of preventing the Islamist militia moving fighters into Hiran...
Mainly this is because South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed 'Lafta Gareen' feels isolated and believes that hosting more federal troops could threaten his presidency...
The state of the statesThe South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed 'Lafta Gareen' who was installed with the help of Farmajo doesn't want to join the broad front against Al Shabaab because he fears the Somali National Army (SNA) could influence the elections in the state due this year against him (AC Vol 60 No 2 Mogadishu lashes out)...
Robow was tipped to win the state's presidential election until Federal President Mohamed Abdullah Mohamed 'Farmajo' ordered Ethiopian troops to detain him and ensure victory for Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed 'Lafta Gareen' (Rahanweyn/Xarin)...
Robow who defected to the government in August 2017 had been officially approved as a candidate in South West State after wide consultation but Farmajo's administration had been spending large sums to ensure the election of Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed 'Lafta Gareen' (AC Vol 59 No 24 Poll fight for Farmajo & Vol 58 No 18 The split that never was)...
The Mogadishu government has been spending huge sums in support of its favoured candidate Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed 'Lafta Gareen' and alienating politicians in all the regions of the country with its clumsy manipulation efforts (AC Vol 59 No 22 US strikes Shabaab gains)...
These have become highly controversial because Farmajo's government sent armoured cars MPs ministers and a lot of public money to bolster its candidate Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed 'Lafta Gareen' who was recently federal minister of Energy and Water...