A prominent Somali cleric and adviser to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has defended remarks in which he said the Federal Government of Somalia has the right to use military force against anyone who takes up arms against it, including heavy weapons and air strikes.
Sheikh Ali Wajiis, a member of the religious establishment in the Banaadir region and one of the president’s advisers, said armed individuals who oppose the federal government should be considered legitimate targets of state military action.
Defending his earlier comments, Sheikh Wajiis argued that Somalia’s security forces were entitled to use whatever military means were necessary to confront armed opponents.
“Once again, I say anyone who is armed will be killed, and a rifle, artillery or an aircraft can be used to strike them. Let any sheikh who has a religious question about this respond to me,” he said.
His comments have intensified an already contentious debate in Somalia over the limits of government force, particularly in dealing with armed political groups, regional forces and militias opposed to the federal authorities.
The remarks also raise broader questions about the distinction between legitimate state security operations and the use of disproportionate force. Somalia has a complex political and security landscape in which disagreements between the federal government, federal member states and political opponents have at times escalated into armed confrontation.
The controversy comes amid allegations that the federal government recently carried out an air strike in Doolow, in the Gedo region, targeting former Somali Custodial Corps commander General Mahad Abdirahman, widely known as Shub.
The Jubaland administration, several members of Somalia’s federal parliament, former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen and opposition politicians have accused the federal government of being responsible for the reported strike.
The government has faced growing scrutiny over its handling of political and security disputes with regional authorities and opponents. Such confrontations have become particularly sensitive because Somalia’s federal system divides political and security responsibilities between the central government and federal member states.
Against this backdrop, Sheikh Wajiis’s repeated assertion that armed opponents can be confronted with everything from small arms to artillery and military aircraft is likely to fuel concerns about how far the federal government is prepared to go in asserting its authority.
For critics, the issue is not simply whether the government has a duty to confront armed groups, but whether military force is being used within a clear legal framework and with adequate safeguards to protect civilians and prevent political disputes from becoming military confrontations.
The debate highlights one of Somalia’s most difficult challenges: how to strengthen the authority of the federal state while avoiding the escalation of political disagreements into violence.
