Somalia: IGAD Urges Restraint Amid SouthWest State Standoff
"IGAD expresses concern over rising tensions and calls on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid actions that may escalate the situation," the Djibouti-based body said in a statement.
DJIBOUTI – Somalia’s latest political showdown drew a warning from the Horn of Africa’s regional bloc on Sunday, as IGAD urged “restraint” and “inclusive dialogue” amid escalating tensions between Mogadishu and the semi-autonomous SouthWest State.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the eight-member regional grouping based in Djibouti, said it was “closely monitoring developments” in the state as a widening dispute raises the risk of armed confrontation.
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“IGAD expresses concern over rising tensions and calls on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid actions that may escalate the situation,” the Djibouti-based body said in a statement.
The warning followed accusations from South West State that the federal government in Mogadishu had been in “cooperation” with Al-Shabaab militants. The regional presidency claimed federal troops and equipment were recently allowed safe passage through insurgent-held areas between Baidoa and Burhakaba.
SouthWest State officials described that alleged link as a “threat to national security,” deepening an already strained relationship marked by disputes over constitutional reforms and the status of regional mandates.
IGAD said the growing rift between Somalia’s central government and its federal member states “should be resolved through inclusive dialogue and established national mechanisms.”
Long involved in efforts to stabilize Somalia, the bloc said it “stands ready to facilitate dialogue and reconciliation efforts” aimed at safeguarding the country’s “peace, stability, and unity.”
The appeal came as the Somali government dispatched troops from different parts of the country to Baidoa city in an effort to remove the regional president, who secured re-election on Saturday.
The confrontation in Baidoa is unfolding against the backdrop of a wider political crisis in Somalia. Several regional states have rejected recent federal constitutional amendments, stoking fears that domestic divisions could weaken the long-running military campaign against the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab.
AXADLETM