AU, UN urge dialogue and restraint as federal-Southwest tensions escalate
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said he was following developments in Southwest State closely and pressed Somali leaders to settle their disputes through peaceful, inclusive engagement.
MOGADISHU, Somalia – International partners are urging dialogue and restraint as tensions rise between Mogadishu and South West State, warning that the standoff could deepen Somalia’s wider federal crisis.
Calls for talks reflect the same kind of settlement logic usually associated with the National Consultative Council, where federal and regional leaders are expected to negotiate high-stakes disputes rather than escalate them.
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At its core, the confrontation is another test of Somalia’s federal system and the limits of central intervention in regional politics.
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said he was following developments in Southwest State closely and pressed Somali leaders to settle their disputes through peaceful, inclusive engagement.
“The African Union underscores that differences between the Federal Government and Federal Member States should be resolved through dialogue,” Youssouf said in a statement. “We encourage all stakeholders to engage constructively in the interest of Somalia’s unity and stability.”
His remarks came as concern deepened over a dispute that could unsettle the Horn of Africa nation at a sensitive political moment.
Youssouf pointed to Somalia’s National Consultative Council (NCC) as an important forum for building consensus and urged leaders to make use of it in addressing political disagreements.
He also warned that the crisis could have serious consequences for Somalia’s security, national cohesion and humanitarian conditions, urging all sides to show maximum restraint and avoid steps that could fuel further escalation.
The African Union reiterated its backing for Somalia’s peace, stability and state-building agenda, saying it remained prepared to help facilitate dialogue and reconciliation if needed.
The United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS) likewise expressed alarm over the widening rift and called on Somali leaders to pursue dialogue.
“We are concerned about the implications of escalating tensions for Somalia’s stability, security, unity and the humanitarian situation,” the mission said in a statement. “We call for constructive dialogue and urge all parties to avoid actions that could lead to violent conflict.”
The UN said it remained supportive of Somalia’s ongoing peacebuilding and governance reforms.
The dispute centers on constitutional amendments passed by Somalia’s federal parliament that extended the mandates of federal institutions from four years to five. Southwest State, Puntland State and Jubbaland, along with several opposition groups, have rejected the changes, arguing that they weaken consensus and put the country’s fragile federal system at risk.
The situation sharpened further after Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen was re-elected president of Southwest State on Saturday in Baidoa, a result the federal government opposes. Reports of troop movements on the city’s outskirts have heightened fears of a possible armed clash.
Somalia has repeatedly grappled with political disputes between Mogadishu and federal member states, conflicts that have often placed pressure on the country’s emerging federal order. Analysts say the latest standoff could undermine progress in state-building and security, especially in the campaign against the al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab.
