Northeastern State’s Bold Boycott Casts a Shadow Over Somalia’s National Consultative Discussions
Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s National Consultative Council (NCC) wraps up its important meeting on Thursday in Mogadishu. This summit is a hotspot where both federal and regional bigwigs are charting a course to tackle Al-Shabaab head-on. There’s also some juicy behind-the-scenes drama with Northeastern State that can’t be ignored.
Gathered over two days, orchestrated by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the assembly zeroes in on boosting efforts against Al-Shabaab, which the Somali leadership brands as “Khawarij,” meaning deviants. These agitators have been causing chaos since 2007. Despite the government’s successes lately, they still manage to stir up trouble, making stability and progress a tough nut to crack in the region.
“It’s a no-brainer; we need to band together and act fast to squash this menace,” President Mohamud declared on Wednesday during his kick-off speech. Top brass from both federal and regional teams are hashing out a rock-solid security playbook to give that militant group the boot once and for all.
Things took a spicy turn when Somalia’s own political squabbles came tumbling into the spotlight. The glaring absence of Deni, a key power player from Northeastern State, was the real elephant in the room. As a major proponent for Northeastern State’s quest for more independence, the Northeastern State President skipped the meeting altogether, beefing about how resources and political fig leaves are dished out. His no-show shines a flashlight on the headaches of knitting together Somalia’s federal system, where regional swagger often butts heads with the national agenda.
These political fires are a major snag as the country gears up for its federal and state elections. With Northeastern State sitting it out, the NCC’s juggling act of quelling disagreements and kindling cooperation is crucial for ensuring Somalia’s political boat stays afloat.
Another hot potato in this meeting is the changeover from the
African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), kick-starting in early 2025. The Somali government is playing hardball by nixing Ethiopian troops from this new mission. This ploy has deepened cracks in the Somalia-Ethiopia relationship. A sticking point in their ties has been a recent Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and North Western State of Somalia, which hands Ethiopia access to North Western State of Somalia’s sultry Red Sea coastline. Somalia’s federal leaders are up in arms about this deal.
Edited by: Ali Musa
Axadle international–Monitoring
