Somali Future Council condemns federal appointment of Southwest interim leader

Friday April 3, 2026

Mogadishu (AX) — The Somali Future Council on Thursday came out forcefully against the federal government’s decision to name an interim leader for Southwest State, describing the move as unconstitutional and a direct challenge to Somalia’s federal arrangement.

In a statement, the opposition-aligned council said the appointment runs counter to constitutional rules that govern transitions in federal member states, including the procedures that must be followed when a presidency becomes vacant and when elections are organized.

“The Council warns that this direction is not only wrong, but also a return to the authoritarian culture that led to the collapse of the Somali state,” the statement said.

The group said installing an interim administration could further destabilize the region and raise the risk of renewed conflict in an area already rattled by recent fighting and political turnover.

The criticism came a day after Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre issued a decree appointing Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji Abdi as interim head of Southwest State. The federal government said the measure was meant to preserve continuity in governance, restore stability and prepare the region for Somalia’s planned one-person, one-vote elections after the upheaval in Baidoa.

Southwest State has become a flashpoint in the widening standoff between Mogadishu and regional authorities over constitutional amendments and electoral reforms. Federal forces recently took control of Baidoa, triggering a swift leadership shift and altering the region’s political balance.

The Somali Future Council urged an immediate return to what it called proper constitutional procedures and said fresh regional elections should be held within a clear timetable to avoid a political vacuum.

It also pressed the federal government and other political actors to honor the constitution and protect the federal system, cautioning that unilateral action could weaken national cohesion.

Meanwhile, Interim Leader Jibril Abdirashid arrived in Baidoa on Thursday at the head of a delegation that included senior federal officials. He was welcomed at the airport by government ministers, local politicians, military officers and civil society representatives, marking the formal beginning of the transitional administration’s work in the regional capital.

The dispute underscores the persistent strains between the federal government and opposition figures over constitutional authority, electoral change and the distribution of power inside Somalia’s fragile federal structure.