Jigjiga (AX) — Somali Regional State President Mustafa Muhumed Omar has rejected renewed calls associated with the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) for a possible return to armed struggle, accusing its leaders of offering the public empty promises.
Addressing the region’s political and security situation on Wednesday, Mustafa said what he called failed politicians were attempting to convince residents that political change and fresh conflict were imminent.
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He said Ethiopia is confronting serious political and security challenges, including ongoing armed conflict in parts of the country, and accused some groups of seeking to exploit those conditions for their own purposes.
“There are groups that say change is coming, who want to create conflicts in the region,” Mustafa said. “These groups are failed political groups that have been engaged in fruitless politics for more than 42 years.”
According to Mustafa, those groups have neither the political influence nor the backing of the Somali region’s population.
He cautioned against raising false hopes, arguing that decades of armed and political campaigns had not produced the development and progress promised to the community.
“In those 40 years, there has been no progress, only decline,” he said, adding that those who continue to advance the same political approach have failed to present a credible alternative.
The ONLF has recently been divided by political and leadership disputes, with two major factions asserting that they represent the organization.
One faction, led by Abdirahman Mohamed Sheikh Mahdi, operates outside the region and has criticized the policies of both the Somali Regional Government and Ethiopia. Members of the faction have recently said that a return to armed struggle remains possible.
The rival faction, led by Abdikarin Sheikh Muse Qalbidhagax, is based in Jigjiga and has secured registration as a political party in the region.
Mustafa’s comments come as political tensions persist across Ethiopia and debate intensifies over the future direction of ONLF politics in the Somali region.
