Somali regional governor assassinated in Mogadishu ahead of key devolution vote

Somali regional governor assassinated in Mogadishu ahead of key devolution vote
The governor of Galgaduud was shot and killed along with his brother ahead of a move to devolve regional power in the region to local administrations.
1 min read
06 August, 2017
Mohamed Dahir Ali Elmi and his brother, Hassan Dahir Ali, were shot dead [Facebook]

The governor of Somalia's semi-autonomous Galgaduud region was assassinated on Friday night in a drive-by shooting in Mogadishu.

Mohammed Dahir Ali Elmi and his brother Hassan Dahir Ali were shot dead in the Yaqshiid district of Mogadishu while travelling to their father's house.

Witnesses told Garowe News that masked gunmen in a minibus blocked the road in front of the brothers' car, shot at them with automatic rifles and drove away.

The assassination followed a political attempt to devolve regional power in Galgaduud to local administrations - a highly contentious issue in the region.

The jihadi rebel group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack on Friday. The organisation, which used to control large parts of the country, has been behind countless attacks and assassinations of a similar kind in recent years.

"Our mujahedeen unit carried [out] an operation to kill the governor," al-Shabaab said in a statement.

The president of Galgaduud Ahmed Dualle Geelle "Haaf", responded to the murders by calling on central government to organise an investigation.

Haaf condemned the attack in "the strongest terms" and demanded that the killers be called to justice.