Somalia’s Fragmentation Deepens as Doolow District Defies Mogadishu

DOOLOW, GEDO (WDN) — Somalia’s political fragmentation is now reaching the district level. After prolonged disputes between Mogadishu and Puntland, Jubaland and South West State, a district administration in Gedo has now declared that it will follow Ethiopian security policies until a Somali government capable of exercising authority across the country emerges.

The declaration came from Doolow District Commissioner Mohamed Hussein Abdi “Lafeey”, who made the remarks while inspecting local security forces and Jubaland Darawiish troops.

Lafeey said Doolow would henceforth operate in accordance with the orders and policies of Ethiopian forces, arguing that the district could not simply wait for a functioning Somali government to assume responsibility for the country’s security and administration.

“Until a capable Somali government is established that can take responsibility everywhere for our interests and the way we live, we will not wait for anyone. We will determine what is best for our people. We will also not implement a policy that Ethiopia does not approve of,” Lafeey sstated.

The statement represents a striking challenge to the authority of the Federal Government in Mogadishu. It also exposes how Somalia’s prolonged political crisis is increasingly moving beyond disputes between the federal government and federal member states—and into the districts themselves.

From Federal States to Districts

For years, Somalia’s political confrontation has largely been framed as a struggle between Mogadishu and federal member states.

Puntland has openly rejected several initiatives by the Federal Government. Jubaland has remained locked in a bitter political and security dispute with Mogadishu, while South West State has also become deeply embroiled in the country’s wider political crisis.

Now the fragmentation is beginning to penetrate the administrative structures below the federal-state level. Doolow’s declaration is particularly significant because it places a district administration in a position of openly conditioning its cooperation with the Federal Government on the existence of a future Somali authority capable of exercising nationwide control. That is not merely a local security statement.

It is a warning about how quickly the authority of the central government is eroding when political disagreements remain unresolved.

Ethiopia’s Growing Role

Lafeey also praised Ethiopian forces operating in the area and called on local security personnel to respect them. He said Ethiopian and local forces had coexisted in the region and argued that Ethiopia’s military presence had contributed to stability and security.

“The two forces live alongside each other. We want these forces to be respected and treated as brothers because they have been in the country for more than 30 years, and what they are doing among us is maintaining stability and security,” he said.

His remarks underscore the complicated security reality in Gedo, where local authorities and security forces have long operated in an environment shaped by cross-border military involvement, federal-state rivalry and competition over political authority.

Gedo Once Again on the Edge

The declaration comes as tensions have again intensified in Gedo, with reports of opposing military movements involving Federal Government forces and Jubaland’s Darawiish forces.

The region has remained one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the dispute between Mogadishu and Jubaland, with political disagreements repeatedly spilling into security arrangements and local administration.

The danger is that Somalia’s political crisis is no longer confined to constitutional negotiations in Mogadishu. It is increasingly being expressed through competing chains of command, competing security forces and competing claims to political authority on the ground.

Puntland. Jubaland. South West State. And now individual districts. The pattern is becoming harder to dismiss as a series of isolated disputes. A country cannot remain politically united for long when its institutions disagree over who has authority, its states challenge the centre, and its districts begin deciding which external power’s policies they will follow.

Doolow’s declaration should therefore be viewed against the much larger question confronting Somalia: How long can the Federal Government claim national authority when an increasing number of political and administrative actors are deciding for themselves whose authority they recognize?

The answer may determine whether Somalia’s current political crisis remains a dispute over federalism and elections—or becomes a deeper fragmentation of the state itself.

WardheerNews