Jigjiga (AX) — Mustafe Mohamud Omar Cagjar will lead Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State for another five years after lawmakers reelected him president on Thursday, extending his tenure to nearly eight years.
The decision came at the opening sitting of the region’s seventh council, established after Ethiopia’s June 2026 general election. Legislators also returned Ibrahim Osman Farah as vice president and elected Mubashir Dubad Rage speaker of the regional parliament.
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Mustafe Cagjar has headed the Somali region since August 2018, when he assumed office after the ouster of former president Abdi Mohamoud Omar, widely known as Abdi Iley.
His appointment followed a period of intense political turmoil after Abiy Ahmed became Ethiopia’s prime minister. Abdi Iley’s administration collapsed amid unrest and violence in Jigjiga.
The regional council formally confirmed Cagjar in October 2021, after the Somali branch of Ethiopia’s Prosperity Party secured victory in the regional election.
His latest mandate marks the beginning of a third stage in his political leadership: an initial appointment in 2018, an elected term starting in 2021 and the new five-year term approved this week.
The Somali Prosperity Party maintained its control of the regional government in Ethiopia’s seventh general election on June 1, clearing the way for Cagjar to continue directing the administration.
Under his government, priorities have included security, infrastructure, public services and investment across the predominantly Somali-speaking region, which shares borders with Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti.
At the same time, the region continues to contend with repeated droughts, displacement and persistent security and political pressures.
Before entering regional politics, Omar held humanitarian and international development positions, including roles linked to international organizations.
The Somali Regional State is one of Ethiopia’s federal regions and carries substantial political and economic weight because of its vast territory, borders with three neighboring countries and location along key trade corridors connecting Ethiopia to the wider Horn of Africa.
