Mustafe Cagjar reelected for another five-year term as Somali Regional State president

Jigjiga (HOL) — Somali Regional State parliament reelected Mustafe Mohamud Omar Cagjar as regional president Thursday, giving him another five-year term after nearly eight years in power.

The vote took place during the first session of the region’s seventh council, formed after Ethiopia’s June 2026 general election. Lawmakers also reelected Ibrahim Osman Farah as vice president and chose Mubashir Dubad Rage as speaker of the regional parliament.

His rise came during a period of major political upheaval in the region following Abiy Ahmed’s emergence as Ethiopia’s prime minister and the collapse of Abdi Iley’s administration after unrest and violence in Jigjiga.

Cagjar was formally returned to office by the regional council in October 2021 after the Somali branch of Ethiopia’s Prosperity Party won the regional election.

His latest reelection extends his leadership into a third political phase, beginning with his initial appointment in 2018, followed by his 2021 election and now another five-year mandate.

The Somali Prosperity Party retained control of the regional government following Ethiopia’s seventh general election on June 1, allowing Cagjar to remain at the head of the administration.

His government has focused on security, infrastructure, public services and investment in the predominantly Somali-speaking region, which borders Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti.

The region has also faced recurring drought, displacement and long-running security and political challenges.

Before entering regional politics, Omar worked in humanitarian and international development roles, including work connected to international organizations.

The Somali Regional State is one of Ethiopia’s federal regions and has significant political and economic importance because of its size, its borders with three neighboring countries and its position along major trade routes linking Ethiopia with the Horn of Africa.