Friday September 6, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali Lower House leadership has resolved a political standoff between lawmakers from the Hawiye clan and Southwest State, which led to the postponement of two parliamentary sessions this week.
The disagreement erupted after Southwest parliamentarians supported pro-Ethiopian protests in the Hudur and Berdale districts of Southwest State, while other lawmakers condemned their stance and accused them of admiring the Ethiopia troops.
Speaker of the People's Assembly, Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur Madobe, mediated the conflict among MPs from the Southwest, Galmudug, and Banadir administrations.
MP Yusuf Geelle Ugas, representing the Hawiye MPs, particularly from the Habargidir sub-clan, publicly apologized to the Southwest MPs for their previous remarks in the media. "If the Somali nation is attacked by sea or land, it cannot be defended without unity. The people of the Southwest are our brothers... Please accept our apologies, and we ask everyone from our side to close this debate," Ugas told reporters.
In response, MP Abdirashid Mohamed Nur Jilley, speaking for the Southwest lawmakers, accepted the apology and emphasized the importance of unity.
"People viewed our speech as an attempt to divide Somalis. We did not side with the Ethiopians. We fully accepted the plea from the parliamentarians representing the people of Banadir. We have accepted the apology, and you are also welcome to join us. We promise to work together for the betterment of the country and the government," Jilley said.
The tension had escalated after a Hawiye clan elder threatened violence against Southwest MPs who supported Ethiopian troops in Somalia.
This week, a motion was introduced by around 40 Lower House members to revoke the parliamentary immunity of 25 MPs who had allegedly backed the pro-Ethiopian protests in Bakool.
However, the motion appears to have been dropped, and the dispute is now resolved.
The protests supporting the Ethiopian troops in Somalia come as Ethiopia is expected to withdraw its forces by December 2024, when the ATMIS mission expires.
Relations between Somalia and Ethiopia have deteriorated recently, particularly after Ethiopia signed a controversial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Somaliland, granting access to Somaliland's Red Sea coastline, which Somalia views as a violation of its sovereignty.