Somalia’s South West State Says It Has Severed Ties With the Federal Government

Somalia’s South West state said on Tuesday it was suspending all cooperation and relations with ‌the government in Mogadishu, the latest sign of strain ‌in the Horn of Africa country’s fragile federal system. At a press conference, ​South West officials accused the federal government of arming militias and trying to unseat the state’s president, Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen. Somalia’s defence and information ministers did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Disputes over ‌constitutional changes, elections and ⁠the balance of power between Mogadishu and regional administrations repeatedly open up political fault lines in Somalia. The South West ⁠administration says relations with Mogadishu worsened after the federal government pushed through constitutional amendments opposed by some state leaders. (Reuters)