Federalism

Friday April 17, 2026 A hard look at how political engineering, donor influence, and institutional frailty are shaping the future of the Somali state By Dr. Ali Said Faqi Two decades on, federalism in Somalia remains less a finished settlement than a work in progress — one whose contradictions now appear to threaten the stability it was meant to protect. Somalia officially embraced federalism in 2004 as a political arrangement designed to help rebuild a country shattered by collapse and civil war. It was widely viewed as a…

OP-ED: A Federation at a Crossroads: Somalia’s Leap from Standoff to Settlement Somalia is staring down a constitutional and political rupture that exceeds the usual turbulence of fragile states. A high-stakes confrontation between the Federal Government in Mogadishu, headed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and the South West State administration led by President Abdiaziz Laftagareen has emerged as one of the most serious tests of Somalia’s federalism since the system took shape. Beneath the surface lies an…

Kismayo, Somalia — The Jubbaland regional administration on Saturday accused Somalia’s federal government of unconstitutional interference in the affairs of federal member states, warning that the moves threaten the country’s federal system and national unity as Parliament debates sweeping constitutional changes. In a statement issued by the Jubbaland presidency, the regional authority said Mogadishu lacks the mandate to unilaterally amend the Provisional Constitution or restructure the system of governance. Somalia’s…

Decentralization Without Detachment: How Somalia’s Federal Experiment Risks Repackaging Authoritarian Rule Somalia’s embrace of federalism was meant to end the abuses of centralized power, redistribute authority closer to citizens, and lower the stakes of political competition. Three decades on, the core problem is not the federal model itself but decentralization without cultural detachment from the authoritarian habits entrenched under military rule. Power has been dispersed in form yet reproduced in practice—personalized,…

Somalia’s federal experiment under strain as Las Anod conflict exposes deeper tensions MOGADISHU — The row over the emergence of a new regional administration in Las Anod — branded SSC-Khaatumo by its leaders — has become the latest flashpoint in a long-running struggle over how Somalia is governed. At the centre of the controversy is President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, accused by critics of steadily eroding the federal compact that was supposed to anchor the country’s fragile post-transition order. The immediate complaint is…

Back when Somalia first dipped its toes into federalism, there was real hope in the air—an honest chance to stitch our country back together after endless chaos and strife. The idea of empowering regions, sharing power wisely, and acknowledging local priorities seemed a promising path. Yet, here we are, more fragmented than united. If we're to grasp why federalism collapsed, we've got to see Somalia for what it is, not just some textbook example of a system that works great in places like Germany or the USA. We ain't those…

Farmajo blamed for weak federalism in Somalia MOGADISHU, Somalia - The present authorities's dedication to selling federalism has once more been referred to as into query, with high political heavyweights accusing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo of his "unhealthy" stance on attaining sure targets by means of the system. Somalia is considered one of the few African international locations that has…