Somalia pulls out troops from Jubbaland after clashes

Somalia National Army soldiers patrol the Dhobley open Market in Lower Juba on April 17, 2024.

Photo credit: Steve Otieno | Nation Media Group

Somalia said on Thursday it had pulled federal troops out of the southwestern Lower Juba region, after clashes with local forces from Jubbaland state which has broken off ties with the central government.

Heavy fighting broke out around the coastal town of Ras Kamboni on Wednesday, where hundreds of federal soldiers had been flown in after Jubbaland re-elected its president, Ahmed Mohamed Islam Madobe in a vote last month.