MOGADISHU, Somalia

Somalia sacked Army Chief Major General Odawaa Yusuf Rageh on Monday, amid political tensions in the country's central Hiran region, which is also the epicenter of fighting against the al-Shabaab terror group.

The decision to fire Rageh was made at a Cabinet meeting in Mogadishu presided over by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, said a statement issued by his office.

The Cabinet also approved the appointment of Brigadier General Ibrahim Sheikh Muhiyadin Addow as the new Chief of the Somali National Army, it added.

“The Council of Ministers has approved the proposal of the Defense Ministry for the appointment of the Commander of the Somali National Army and appointed Brigadier General Ibrahim Sheikh Muhyadin Addow,” said the statement.

The new army chief previously served as the commander of the Presidential Guards and is said to have studied military logistics in Italy.

Rageh was appointed army chief in August 2020 by former President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo, and his dismissal comes amid political tensions in the Hiran region in Hirshabele state, the epicenter of the army fighting against al-Qaeda affiliated al-Shabaab terror group.

The move comes just a few days after Hirshabele President Ali Gudlawe Hussien fired Ali Jeyte Osman, the governor of the Hiran regional administration, who was seen as the face of the fight against the terrorist group in the province.

However, Osman rejected his dismissal and declared that he will no longer recognize the state at a press conference in Beledwayne, the capital city of the Hiran region, on Sunday.

He also announced the formation of a new federal member state in the central province of Hiran.