BAIDOA — Authorities in Somalia’s South West state have formally announced the suspension of cooperation with the Federal Government of Somalia, citing alleged interference in regional affairs.
In a statement, the administration of South West State said the decision followed what it described as an extensive review of the country’s political situation and repeated complaints over federal involvement in its internal matters.
Regional officials accused the central government of organising security deployments in recent months aimed at undermining social cohesion and the functioning of state-level institutions. They also alleged that some federal ministers had directly intervened in issues related to security, finances and local governance.
“After numerous discussions with the federal authorities, during which we demanded an end to the interference, it became clear that these actions were weakening the foundations of South West’s statehood,” the statement said.
The administration further claimed it had observed the distribution of weapons and military equipment to what it described as unrecognised militias operating in its territory, warning that such groups resembled armed actors outside official state structures.
Based on these concerns, South West announced it was halting all forms of cooperation with the federal government “until a federal authority that respects the constitutional system is in place,” the regional spokesperson said while reading the statement to the media.
South West becomes the third federal member state to suspend ties with the central government, after similar moves by Puntland and Jubbaland.
