Security forces
Jubaland security forces (Darawiish)
Jubaland's security forces include the Jubaland Darawiish (Dervish) force, headquartered in Kismayo with a main base at Afmadow, a presidential unit and the state police. They grew out of the Raskamboni movement that took Kismayo with Kenyan and Somali forces in 2012. After Ahmed Madobe's disputed re-election in November 2024 they fought the Somali National Army at Ras Kamboni in December 2024, when about 600 federal soldiers crossed into Kenya, and again in Gedo in 2025.
In short
The Jubaland Darawiish is the armed force of Jubaland State. Its core came from the Raskamboni movement of Ahmed Madobe. This page records what the sources say about it, without taking sides between the state and federal governments.
Structure
Wikipedia records that the Darawiish (Somali: Ciidamada Daraawiishta Jubaland) is headquartered in Kismayo with its main base at Afmadow, and was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Mahad Islaam. Madobe has said it focuses on counter-terrorism. It draws mainly on the Ogaden and Marehan clans (Wikipedia, Jubaland Darawiish, citing Garowe Online). Its units named in reports of the 2024 fighting include Birjeex, Hanqadh and Abris, alongside a presidential unit (Wikipedia, Battle of Ras Kamboni (2024)). No official figure for its size has been published.
The 2013 agreement
Under the agreement signed in Addis Ababa on 28 August 2013, Jubaland's forces were to be integrated into the Somali National Army, while the Juba Interim Administration would command the regional police (Wikipedia, Jubaland).
The 2024 crisis
Madobe was re-elected for a third term on 25 November 2024 by the state's House of Representatives. The federal government said the vote had no federal involvement and called it unlawful; on 27 November a Banadir court issued a warrant for Madobe's arrest on treason charges, and a Kismayo court answered with a reward for the arrest of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (Wikipedia, Battle of Ras Kamboni, citing AFP). The same day Darawiish and federal troops exchanged fire at Ras Kamboni, near the Kenyan border (Wikipedia, Jubaland Darawiish).
On 11 December 2024 fighting began near Ras Kamboni over the Oodow well, the town's water source. After about six hours Jubaland forces held the town. Jubaland said 250 federal soldiers surrendered, a claim not independently verified; its deputy security minister, Adan Ahmed Haji, told Reuters that 42 Turkish-trained Gorgor soldiers had surrendered. About 600 federal soldiers crossed into Kenya, where Kenyan forces disarmed them and arranged their return to Mogadishu. The British embassy condemned the "unacceptable loss of life" (Wikipedia, Battle of Ras Kamboni, citing Reuters, the Daily Nation and Horseed Media).
Gedo, 2025
In July 2025 federal and Jubaland forces fought in Beled Hawo, in Gedo. AFP reported at least five dead. A Jubaland commander, Yusuf Ahmed, said the army had tried to "take full control of the town"; the federal government blamed Madobe and called the attack criminal (The Defense Post, AFP, 23 July 2025). Garowe Online reported that the fighting spread from Ras Kamboni and El Wak to Beled Hawo and then Doolow, and linked it to the dispute over voter registration for the planned direct elections (Garowe Online, 29 July 2025). The two governments have been in talks since October 2025 (see Jubaland).
Sources differ
- Who started the fighting. Each side has blamed the other for both the Ras Kamboni and the Beled Hawo clashes.
- Numbers. Surrender and casualty figures for December 2024 come mainly from Jubaland.
- The 2024 election. Jubaland says it followed the state constitution; the federal government says it was unlawful.
Read the primary sources yourself
Sources
- Wikipedia, Jubaland Darawiish · en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, Battle of Ras Kamboni (2024) · en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, Jubaland · en.wikipedia.org
- The Defense Post, AFP, 23 July 2025 · thedefensepost.com
- Garowe Online, 29 July 2025 · garoweonline.com
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