Addis Ababa — The Cabinet of the Somali Regional State has unanimously voted to implement the federal government’s plan for “the reorganization of the special forces of the region,” according to Edina Media. The cabinet decided that the leaders and members of the Somali Region’s Special Forces, commonly known as the Liyu Police, will be integrated into various security structures—defence, Federal Police or Regional Police—based on their individual choices.
The Liyu Police were established in 2008 as the region’s special forces. In May 2019, during an exclusive interview with Addis Standard, Somali Region President Mustafa Omer became the first high‑level official to publicly discuss the possibility of disbanding the regional special forces. He emphasized that the issue was not about disarmament but about providing more training and weapons and placing personnel within structures where they could better serve the country.
Somali Fast Info reported that, after extensive discussion, the regional cabinet unanimously supported the decision, describing it as a move to enhance training and equipment for the forces. The resolution was adopted at the 12th regular meeting of the state cabinet held today.
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