Somalia Appoints Brigadier General Ibrahim Mohamed Mahmud as New Army Chief

Somalia has appointed Brigadier General Ibrahim Mohamed Mahmud as the new Commander of the Somali National Army, replacing General Odowa Yusuf Rage. The decision was approved by the Council of Ministers during a Cabinet meeting in Mogadishu.

Somalia’s Council of Ministers has approved the appointment of Brigadier General Ibrahim Mohamed Mahmud as the new Commander of the Somali National Army (SNA), according to an official statement issued by the Office of the Somali Prime Minister and read publicly by government spokesperson Abdinasir Ahmed Bashir. The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting held in Mogadishu on Thursday and comes in the wake of the dismissal of General Odowa Yusuf Rage from the same position.
The newly appointed army chief, Brigadier General Ibrahim Mohamed Mahmud, also known as Ibrahim Mohamed Mohamud Hassan, brings a strong academic and professional background to the role. Born in 1995, he received his higher education at the Turkish Military Academy in Ankara, where he enrolled in the Faculty of Public Administration and completed a rigorous five-year programme between 2013 and 2017. His training combined military leadership with public administration studies, preparing him for both command and institutional responsibilities within the armed forces.
Following his graduation, he served as a Turksom company commander for one year, from 2018 to 2019, gaining firsthand operational and leadership experience within Somalia’s evolving security framework. Over the course of his career, Brigadier General Ibrahim has accumulated 18 years of military service and holds postgraduate-level university education, reflecting a blend of field experience and advanced academic training.
Prior to his elevation as army commander, he was appointed Commander of the Somali National Army General Support Command in June 2024. This appointment was formalized through a Presidential Decree issued by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, acting on the recommendation of the Minister of Defense. The decree was part of a wider reform agenda aimed at restructuring the Somali National Army and strengthening its operational effectiveness, including the formal creation of the General Support Command as a distinct and strategic arm of the military.
In his role as General Support Command leader, Brigadier General Ibrahim was responsible for overseeing critical areas such as logistics, technical services, military supplies, and transportation. His leadership ensured that frontline combat units received consistent and reliable support, a key factor in sustaining military operations and improving overall readiness during ongoing security engagements.
His appointment follows the removal of General Odowa Yusuf Rage, who had most recently been reappointed as SNA Commander in November 2024 during an emergency session of the Council of Ministers. That reappointment came after the replacement of Brigadier General Ibrahim Sheikh Muhiyadin Addow, who had taken up the role in June 2023. General Odowa previously served as army commander from 2019 until June 2023, marking him as one of the longest-serving leaders in the position in recent years.
During his latest tenure, General Odowa led an intensified military campaign against the Al Shabab militant group, coordinating operations that aimed to weaken the group’s control and disrupt its activities across various regions. He also played a significant role in overseeing the gradual transfer of security responsibilities from African Union forces to Somali-led units, a central element of the federal government’s long-term security and sovereignty strategy.
General Odowa began his military career in 2006, when he underwent a year of foundational military training in Uganda. During this period, he studied military law and VIP protection, laying the groundwork for his future command responsibilities. He later served as an instructor for newly recruited Somali soldiers deployed to Uganda for training, while continuing to develop his operational and leadership skills.
In 2013, he was selected for advanced military training in Türkiye, where he completed a year-long programme focused on infantry command, battlefield tactics, leadership development, and foreign-language instruction. Upon returning to Somalia, he was promoted first to the rank of Captain and later to Major, earning commendations for his performance in various operations. In 2014, he further advanced his professional education by attending senior-level training at the Turkish Army War College, strengthening his expertise in strategic planning, command functions, and operational leadership.
The leadership transition within the Somali National Army comes at a critical moment, as Somalia works to consolidate recent battlefield gains and reinforce its national security framework. The changes signal a renewed emphasis on professionalizing the armed forces, enhancing institutional capacity, and ensuring sustained operational readiness as the country continues efforts to stabilize its security environment and assert greater control over its defense operations.