BALAD HAWO, Somalia, April 21 (SMN) - Paramilitary forces aligned with Somalia's Jubaland regional administration have integrated a group of armed militias previously active in the town of Balad Hawo, as part of a renewed effort to assert control over the contested Gedo region, officials said on Monday.

The militias, reportedly left without financial support from allied local businessmen, have joined the ranks of the Jubaland Darawish forces. Ali Hassan Deeq, deputy commander of the regional force, said the fighters would now be registered as official personnel within the Jubaland security apparatus.

"They will be part of our official forces, recognised by the administration," Deeq said during a brief ceremony held in Balad Hawo.

The move comes amid ongoing tensions between the Jubaland leadership and Somalia's federal government in Mogadishu. Jubaland's president, Ahmed Mohamed Madobe, severed ties with the federal authorities after his disputed re-election in 2023, which was rejected by Mogadishu and deemed unconstitutional.

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The federal government later issued an arrest warrant for Madobe, a move he reciprocated by issuing a similar order for Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The rift has deepened divisions over control of southern Somalia, particularly in the Gedo region.

Somali government forces had recently deployed to the coastal town of Ras Kamboni in Lower Juba in response to Madobe's re-election. However, Jubaland forces retook the area within two weeks, capturing several government soldiers and forcing others to flee across the Kenyan border, according to regional officials.

Travel restrictions have since been imposed in several towns under Jubaland's control, including Kismayo, Bardhere and Doolow, as the political and military standoff shows little sign of resolution.

The federal government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.