MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Ethiopian troops supporting Jubaland regional forces launched a heavy assault on a base belonging to Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) in the border town of Dolow on Sunday, just hours after a tense diplomatic meeting between Somali and Ethiopian leaders in Addis Ababa.
Videos circulated on social media showed explosions and sustained gunfire erupting from NISA weapons depot, with large plumes of smoke and visible flames engulfing parts of the compound. The attack, reportedly involving heavy bombardment by Ethiopian forces, caused significant destruction, though the number of casualties remains unconfirmed.
A local journalist speaking to Mogadishu-based Dalsan TV said that NISA officers, including the base commander, were arrested during the joint operation by Ethiopian and Jubaland troops.
The assault marks a dramatic escalation in the long-standing standoff over control of Gedo region, where clashes have intensified, particularly in the strategic town of Balad Hawo. At least one person was confirmed dead and several others injured during renewed fighting between federal security forces and Jubaland troops on Sunday.
Last week, over 10 people were killed during similar clashes in Balad Hawo, which resulted in Jubaland forces seizing full control of the town. Federal troops, now confined to a besieged military base on the outskirts, remain cut off from water, electricity, and other essential supplies.
The reported involvement of Ethiopian forces in the Dolow attack has sparked widespread outrage on Somali social media, with critics questioning the presence of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his intelligence chief, Mahad Salad, in Addis Ababa while Somali national forces were under assault.
Images from the meeting between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia and President Mohamud — along with the intelligence chiefs of both countries — further fueled public anger. Observers described the Somali delegation’s demeanor as tense and seemingly humiliated, prompting criticism of what many saw as a diplomatic debacle and a national embarrassment.
Ethiopia has long maintained strategic alliances with Somalia’s federal member states, including Jubaland and Puntland, which often challenge the authority of the federal government in Mogadishu. Addis Ababa also enjoys relatively warm ties with Somaliland, the self-declared republic that unilaterally broke away from Somalia in 1991 and continues to seek international recognition.
Efforts to mend relations between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa have recently faltered, particularly over Ethiopia’s push for access to Somalia’s Red Sea coast. Somalia has fiercely opposed an agreement Ethiopia signed with Somaliland in early 2024 to build a naval base near the port city of Berbera — a move Mogadishu has condemned as a flagrant violation of Somali sovereignty, triggering a deep diplomatic rift.
Tensions further escalated this week after Somalia’s Defense Minister, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, announced the federal government’s rejection of a proposed naval exercise off the Somali coast organized by the East African Standby Force (EASF). The objection stemmed from the participation of landlocked nations, including Ethiopia, which Mogadishu viewed as unacceptable under the current strained relations.
Turkish-mediated peace efforts between the two countries now appear in jeopardy, as both capitals pursue competing alliances. Somalia’s deepening ties with Egypt — a rival of Ethiopia over Nile water politics — have further inflamed tensions, while Addis Ababa continues to arm and support Somali regional states opposed to President Mohamud’s administration.
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