Ahmed Mohamed Islam

Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Somali: Sheekh Axmed Maxamed Islaam) aka Sheikh Ahmed Madobe or Madobe is the Chairman of Raskamboni movement.^[1] On 15 May 2013, he was elected president of Somalia's southern Jubaland region.^[2]

Islamic Courts Union

As a member of Islamic Courts Union (ICU) he was governor of Kismayo in 2006. When the ICU was overthrown by Ethiopian National Defense Force he fled towards the Kenyan border when he was wounded, and later received medical treatment at an Ethiopian hospital. He was later arrested by the Ethiopians.^[3]

Member of Parliament

When the Somali parliament expanded to 550 MPs he was elected MP in January 2009 and released from Ethiopian prison. On 4 April 2009 he announced his resignation from the parliament.^[3]

Raskamboni

Sheikh Ahmed Madobe was the leader of Ras Kamboni Brigades (the predecessor to Raskamboni movement) which was allied with Hizbul Islam. On 1 October 2009, armed conflict between Hizbul Islam and al-Shabaab began after a dispute between the Ras Kamboni Brigades and al-Shabaab over control of Kisimayo. ARS-A and JABISO, which were aligned with al-Shabaab in Hiiraan and Mogadishu refused to support the Ras Kamboni Brigades, meanwhile Anole remained neutral. The fighting also led to a split within the Ras Kamboni Brigades, with a faction led by Ahmed Madoobe fighting against al-Shabaab and a faction led by Hassan al-Turki siding with al-Shabaab.^[4] The Battle of Kismayo was decisively won by al-Shabaab, which then expelled Madbobe's Ras Kamboni Brigades from the city.^[5] In the battles that followed, in November 2009, Madobe's forces were overpowered by al-Shabaab and its local allies. It was then forced to withdraw from the Lower Jubba region and most of southern Somalia.^[4][5] In February 2010, al-Turki's branch declared a merger with al-Shabaab.^[4]

On 20 December 2010, Hizbul Islam also merged with al-Shabaab^[6] and the Raskamboni movement then allied with Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a and the Transitional Federal Government.

Jubaland presidency

On 15 May 2013, Madoobe was elected as president of Jubaland, a key southern region of Somalia. Delegates said that while 10 votes were still cast for other candidates and 15 abstained, 485 voted in favour of Madobe.^[7]

On 28 August 2013, Madobe signed a national reconciliation agreement in Addis Ababa with the Somali federal government. Endorsed by the federal State Minister for the Presidency Farah Abdulkadir on behalf of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the pact was brokered by the Foreign Ministry of Ethiopia and came after protracted bilateral talks. Under the terms of the agreement, Jubaland will be administered for a two year period by a Juba Interim Administration and led by the region's incumbent president, Madobe. The regional president will serve as the chairperson of a new Executive Council, to which he will appoint three deputies. Management of Kismayo's seaport and airport will also be transferred to the Federal Government after a period of six months, and revenues and resources generated from these infrastructures will be earmarked for Jubaland's service delivery and security sectors as well as local institutional development. Additionally, the agreement includes the integration of Jubaland's military forces under the central command of the Somali National Army (SNA), and stipulates that the Juba Interim Administration will command the regional police.^[8][9] UN Special Envoy to Somalia Nicholas Kay hailed the pact as "a breakthrough that unlocks the door for a better future for Somalia,"^[10] with AUC, UN, EU and IGAD representatives also present at the signing.^[9]

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