Mogadishu (WDN)- Somalia’s fragile security architecture is showing new signs of fracture as two elite military units have been deployed against forces loyal to General Saneey Cabdulle, dramatically escalating tensions within the armed forces.

The units—commanded by Captain Colaad Ahmed Jadid of the UAE-trained 380th Battalion and Major Omar Mohamed Ali (Omar Gaab) of the 213th Battalion, both of whom hail from the president’s sub-clan, have been moved into position around Geed-Timir Camp, where forces loyal to General Saneey Cabdulle, are based. According to media reports, the mission is explicit: to disarm and detain the general.

This is no routine redeployment. It is a confrontation between heavily armed formations within the same national army—an unmistakable sign of internal rupture. Elements of Captain Colaad’s forces were previously deployed in Baidoa and remain tied to ongoing operations following the offensive in South West State, underscoring the operational reach and combat readiness of the units now facing Saneey.

Both battalions are widely described as part of a growing network of so-called “special forces” established under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. These units, critics allege, have increasingly been used not just for security operations, but for political purposes—targeting prominent opposition figures and influential actors across Somalia’s political landscape.

Those named in such accusations include former presidents, prime ministers, senior officials, and political leaders—figures who, in different contexts, have stood in opposition to the current administration.

What makes the current standoff particularly combustible is not just the deployment itself, but the layered dynamics beneath it. Clan affiliations now intersect directly with command structures: officers from the president’s sub-clan confronting a general from a different Abgaal lineage. In Somalia’s political-military landscape, such alignments rarely remain neutral.

The situation on the ground is tense and volatile. Two-armed groups—both with histories rooted in past conflicts and both now operating under the banner of the state—are positioned against each other, awaiting the next move. The risk of escalation is not theoretical. It is immediate.

At its core, this is more than a dispute over weapons or authority. It is a stress test of cohesion within Somalia’s security forces—one that raises urgent questions about command integrity, political influence over the military, and the durability of the state itself.

For now, the lines are drawn. And the army is facing itself.

WardheerNews