Somali Regional State Emerges as Ethiopia’s Safest and Most Stable Region

By Abdikarim H. Abdi Buh

The Somali Regional State of Ethiopia has undergone a remarkable transformation in security and stability, emerging as one of the country’s most peaceful and secure regional states after decades of conflict and instability. That transformation is perhaps most visible in Jigjiga, the regional capital, where senior political leaders can move among ordinary citizens with a level of public access and security that would be difficult to imagine during the region’s years of armed conflict.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Somali Regional State President Mustafa Omer, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh have all been able to participate in public events in Jigjiga without the kind of extraordinary security environment often associated with high-level political gatherings elsewhere in the region.

Jigjiga has consequently become more than the administrative capital of the Somali Regional State. It has increasingly developed into a venue for national and regional political meetings, conferences and public events. Indeed, major conferences involving Ethiopia’s regional states have increasingly been hosted in Jigjiga, reflecting the city’s growing reputation as a secure and accessible political centre.