Somalia’s Neighbours Question Federal Government Legitimacy, Scale Back Ties

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s relations with some of its neighbors are fraying, with several regional governments now scaling back their diplomatic engagement and increasingly viewing the federal authorities in Mogadishu as an administration whose mandate has lapsed and whose political legitimacy remains in dispute, according to regional officials and diplomatic sources.

The tension is unfolding against a backdrop of mounting political deadlock in Somalia, where delayed elections and a failure by the federal government and opposition groups to agree on an electoral model have intensified the standoff.

Officials familiar with the talks said a number of Horn of Africa states have recently voiced alarm that Somalia’s instability could spill across borders and unsettle regional security. Some of those governments have also raised the matter with Western partners, arguing that the consequences of Somalia’s prolonged uncertainty need to be contained.

Sources briefed on diplomatic discussions said meetings in Washington between some regional foreign ministers and U.S. officials reportedly touched on the performance and direction of Somalia’s federal leadership.

Meanwhile, thousands of troops from neighboring countries remain on Somali soil under two separate frameworks: bilateral security cooperation deals with Mogadishu and the African Union peace support mission, both aimed at countering the extremist group al-Shabab.

Analysts warn that if the region moves further toward formally treating Somalia’s federal administration as a caretaker authority, the diplomatic cost for Mogadishu could be steep. Being publicly described in international forums as a government whose term has ended and which lacks a settled political arrangement could erode trust in Somalia’s institutions and make outside engagement more difficult.

Somalia’s federal government has not publicly responded to the reported diplomatic concerns from neighboring states.

AXADLETM