Several federal ministers resign as Somalia’s political crisis deepens
Mogadishu (AX) — A deepening rift between Mogadishu and Southwest State burst into public view on Friday as a group of federal cabinet members from the region resigned en masse.
Friday March 20, 2026
Mogadishu (AX) — A deepening rift between Mogadishu and Southwest State burst into public view on Friday as a group of federal cabinet members from the region resigned en masse.
- Advertisement -
The departing officials are State Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources Dr. Mohamed Yusuf Hassan (Waliid); Deputy Minister of Planning, Investment and Economic Development Mohamed Aden Mohamed; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Isaak Mohamud Mursal; Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change Hussein Ali Haji; and Deputy Minister of Energy Suhuur Haji.
Announcing their departures, the ministers accused federal authorities of violating national agreements, continuing to interfere in Southwest affairs in breach of the 2012 provisional constitution, and waging what they described as an “aggressive war” against Southwest State.
The federal government has not yet issued an official response to the resignations.
Prime Minister Hamse Abdi Barre reportedly cut short a visit to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after the resignations. Sources said he left at once to address the unfolding political crisis. It was not immediately clear whether he would proceed with previously planned holiday travel to Egypt.
The mass walkout came a day after Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen reaffirmed that his administration had severed ties with the federal government.
“Starting today, there will be no contact between us and the federal government until something is agreed upon by Somalis,” Laftagareen said at a press conference in Baidoa.
He accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration of meddling in Southwest’s political and security matters, seeking to weaken the regional government and splitting forces involved in operations against al-Shabab.
Laftagareen also alleged the federal leadership has blocked regional elections since 2022, saying state leaders’ proposals to conduct their own polls were repeatedly rejected in favor of a merged national process.
The dispute is playing out amid wider strains over constitutional amendments and the electoral framework. In recent weeks, ties between the federal government and several member states have frayed, prompting concerns about security coordination and governance as key electoral deadlines draw near.