South West State suspended cooperation with Somalia’s Federal Government (FGS), escalating an already fragile relationship and signaling deepening divisions within the country’s federal system. Unfortunately, South West State, with its capital in Baidoa, is not the first state to rebel against Mogadishu since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected in 2022. Whether this contributed to the decision by the South West State to sever its cooperation with Mogadishu remains to be seen. While the South West State was not candid about its reasons for withdrawal of cooperation with the government of Mohamud, this move was left to speculation and conjecture. Villa Somalia was very cautious in the manner in which it handled the withdrawal of cooperation by the South West State.

Source: Standard Digital March 22, 2026 07:46 UTC