Somalia’s Southwest Parliament speaker warns against regional elections in Barawe

Saturday March 21, 2026

Baidoa (AX) — A looming election dispute in Somalia’s Southwest State has sparked a stark warning from the region’s parliamentary leadership, with Speaker Dr. Ali Said Fiqi cautioning that a federal push to stage polls in Barawe could destabilize the area and even ignite conflict.

Writing Friday on his X account, Fiqi argued that Barawe has never operated as Southwest State’s effective seat of government. He said the regional parliament has not convened there, nor has the cabinet held meetings in the coastal city. Instead, he emphasized, the core institutions of Southwest’s legislative and executive branches work from Baidoa, which he described as the hub of administrative authority.

“The Federal Government of Somalia is pushing hard to hold elections in Barawe, which is unacceptable and a dangerous step,” Fiqi wrote. “The federal troops deployed in the city show that this is not about agreement or law, but about imposing a political plan by force.”

He said Southwest forces are ready to defend the region, warning that the prospect of a clash is “real and unpredictable.”

Fiqi also warned that any escalation in Barawe would carry grave consequences, and he placed responsibility for any fallout squarely on the federal government.

“If the crisis turns into war, the responsibility lies directly with the Federal Government, and not with individual interests or those of the Somali people,” he said.

Southwest State’s capital is Barawe, though Baidoa currently serves as the interim administrative capital for the regional administration. Reports indicate the federal government intends to conduct Southwest elections in Barawe without the knowledge or participation of the existing Southwest State authorities operating from Baidoa.

Federal authorities have not publicly responded to Fiqi’s remarks.

His warning lands amid sharpening strains between Baidoa and Mogadishu over elections and constitutional changes. Last week, Southwest State President Abdiasis Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of obstructing Southwest’s regional elections since 2022 and of meddling in the state’s internal affairs.

Disagreements over the electoral framework, along with recently adopted constitutional amendments, have widened rifts between the federal government and several federal member states—stoking concerns about coordination and stability as major political deadlines draw closer.