From Lower Juba to Hiiraan: How Somalia’s Real Fight Is Being Won on the Ground

From Lower Juba to Hiiraan: How Somalia’s Real Fight Is Being Won on the Ground

Across Somalia, a quiet revolution is unfolding—not with speeches, but with rifles, radios, and resolve.

In the early hours of Wednesday, Jubbaland's Darawish Brigade swept through three villages in Lower Juba. Armed with intelligence and determination, they struck first, thwarting a deadly Al-Shabaab plot before it reached civilians. Lt. Col. Asad "Garweyne" called it “a preventive success.” He’s being humble. It was a clear message: terrorists can no longer move freely in Jubbaland.

But the fight isn’t just in the south.

In Hiiraan, things are heating up after the strategic town of Moqokori fell to Al-Shabaab. For the first time in three years, the group regained control of the crossroads that links ten major roads in central Somalia. The loss stung—not just strategically, but symbolically.

Now, the counterattack is forming in Mahaas. Federal troops and Ma’awiisley militia, led by Ali Jeyte Osman, are preparing to retake what was lost. Community elders, including the Hawadle clan, are meeting to put an end to internal disputes that made the loss possible.

The bigger story here? This isn’t just a military campaign—it’s a people’s movement.

Somalis are no longer waiting for someone else to fix things. From Darawish raids to grassroots mobilization in Hiiraan, it’s clear: the war for Somalia’s future is being won village by village, clan by clan, with unity and grit.

These aren’t just battles—they’re declarations.Somalia is not broken. It is bleeding, yes—but it is fighting back, and it is rising.