Former refugee seeks to unseat Jubaland's president Madobe

A former refugee is seeking to unseat Somalia’s Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe, promising to eradicate violent extremism and foster unity in the region.

Dr Abdullahi Ali, who spent 19 years at the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, has his sights set on the militant group Al-Shabaab, whose terrorist activities have ravaged Jubaland for more than a decade.

His counter-terrorism plan involves setting up a strong special force to counter the militant outfit, a move he said would help open up Jubaland for local and international investments.

“A change in political leadership will ensure a stable Somalia and the region at large. Poor leadership is the cause of insecurity and in particular from al-Shabaab in the region,” said Dr Ali, who hails from the dominant Ogaden clan.

He urged Kenya to take interest in the state’s affairs as the region works to rid itself of the Al-Shabaab menace. Jubaland borders Kenya’s Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and Lamu counties, with Al-Shabaab terrorists taking advantage of porous borders to sneak into Kenya against the intention to have it as a buffer zone against the Al Shabaab insurgency.

“Somalia has now joined the East Africa Community and hence must ensure the region is stable starting with its soil. This will be achieved through change which we will ensure comes with a better life,” he added.

The Somali-American is banking on his experiences in America to transform the regional state, entrenching human rights, the independence of the Judiciary and government accountability.

Having a skilled workforce and enhancing Jubaland’s infrastructure also feature in the entrepreneur cum philanthropist’s list of priorities ahead of the elections that will be held within two months.

Ali has held several campaigns in Nairobi, calling out President Madobe’s 11-year reign of the region. Madobe, the state’s leader since 2013, will be eligible for election following the scrapping of term limits.

Ali opposed the move as unconstitutional arguing “the local parliament has no mandate to amend the constitution since their term ended a year ago”.

“The poverty was overwhelming, and this is linked to poor governance,” Ali said of the situation in which he found Jubaland when he returned to Somalia from the United States in 2021.

Ali is the founder and CEO of Gateway Community Services, as well as former Executive Director of Nurture All Afric, a non-profit organization with offices in the US, Kenya and Somalia

Madobe defeated three other candidates in a vote cast by the semi-autonomous region’s lawmakers in the port city of Kismayu in 2019.

A former rebel leader, he won 56 of the 74 votes cast in a poll delayed by three days.

Madobe was first elected to office in May 2013, a year after Somali troops, backed by African Union soldiers, pushed the al-Qaeda-linked armed group, al-Shabab, out of Kismayu. Jubaland, a federal member state in southern Somalia, borders the North Eastern region of in Kenya.

This week, Dr Abdullahi indicated that Jubaland, a gateway to East African Community countries, would play a key role in strengthening regional integration, thus, allowing member states to engage and share meaningful partnerships.

He implored the electorate and the EAC membership to join the course to bring change.