MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s cabinet has been thrown into sharp public dispute after senior ministers exchanged fierce remarks online over Somaliland’s long-standing push for recognition, exposing deep fractures within the federal government.
The confrontation erupted on Thursday after several federal government officials from Somaliland accused Mogadishu of marginalising the region politically and reneging on past agreements.
Those voicing the accusations included Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama, Agriculture Minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir, Finance Minister Bihi Iman Ege and Supreme Court Chief Bashe Yusuf.
In a press briefing, they said the federal system had failed to provide Somalilanders with fair power-sharing arrangements, arguing that for more than two decades the region had been denied the offices of prime minister and president.
They also alleged that repeated rounds of talks between Somaliland and Somalia over the years had collapsed because successive federal governments failed to honour commitments made during negotiations.
The comments prompted a swift and angry response from Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, who challenged the officials online. His intervention triggered an exchange of sharply worded posts, laying bare the scale of disagreement within the Somali cabinet over Somaliland’s political status.
Mr Fiqi accused the officials of failing to condemn Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, while instead directing what he described as unfounded accusations at the very federal government of which they are members.
He later said he had deleted his post after receiving advice from Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre.
The episode comes amid growing controversy over the silence of ministers and MPs from Somaliland serving in Somalia’s federal institutions. None of them publicly condemned Israel’s move this week, which was strongly opposed and denounced by officials from southern Somalia. Their reasons for remaining silent remain unclear.
Tensions were further underscored by the resignation this week of Senator Osman Dube, a prominent member of the upper house. He said MPs from Somaliland were treated with little respect in Mogadishu and were routinely threatened with the loss of their seats if they attempted to highlight government failures in delivering what he described as Somaliland’s rightful political representation.
The public dispute marks one of the most visible manifestations in recent years of the unresolved question of Somaliland’s place within Somalia, and the strain it continues to place on the country’s fragile federal leadership.
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