Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | August 5, 2025
Overview:
The Somali Region has endured decades of political upheaval, mismanagement, and corruption that have severely hindered social and economic development. Despite persistent challenges—ranging from violence to displacement—the community has remained resilient, holding onto hope for a better future.
Since its establishment as an autonomous administration, the region has lacked a truly representative government committed to justice and equitable governance. Successive regimes have failed to serve the people’s needs, instead perpetuating misrule and injustice, which fueled cycles of resistance and disillusionment.
Recent leadership under Mustafa Mohamed Omar has demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to enact meaningful reform. Instead, issues such as corruption, abuse of power, and repression continue to undermine stability and progress.
Our Calls for Action:
On this day, August 5, 2025, the elders of the Somali Region call for:
1. Safeguarding Peace and Stability Including Promoting internal harmony among the Somali people and ensuring peaceful coexistence with other communities living in the region and with neighboring regions.
2. Supporting the ongoing reforms of the Prosperity Party and the federal government initiatives led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed towards building a prosperous, inclusive and unified federal nation.
3. Recognizing and supporting federal efforts to develop the region’s natural resources, especially oil, gas, and petroleum extraction.
4. Opposing Unilateral Restructuring and condemning the recent administrative restructuring announced by the regional government, which was implemented without adequate consultation or proper assessment, risking security and inter-regional conflicts.
5. Calling on Mustafa and his government to relinquish power and restore authority to the local people, as their leadership has failed, marred by mismanagement, corruption, injustice, and repression through arrests, torture, intimidation, insults, and threats.
6. Urging elders, intellectuals, youth, and community groups to unite in rejecting oppression, injustice, and corruption, and to actively participate in upcoming conference to address regional challenges.
7. Demanding that the federal government respond promptly to the grievances of the local population, which the regional administration has neglected.
8. Reinforcing security measures to prevent conflicts stemming from inter-clan within Somalis or inter-ethnic and territorial tensions with neighboring regions andaddressing potential terrorists threats along the Somalia border.
Signed by:
The Traditional Elders of the Somali Region, representing all 11 Zones of the Somali State.
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