Five members of the North East administration’s regional parliament announced their resignation on Sunday, citing unresolved disputes over governance and the direction of the young Somali federal state.
The lawmakers, Makhtal Said Mohomoud, Ahmed Caabi Hassan, Abdulsalam Abdullahi Mohamed, Sadiq Jama Muse and Ahmed Ali Mohamed, said in a joint statement that they had formally relinquished their seats after internal dialogue failed to resolve their concerns.
The departures matter because the North East administration is barely a year old, having been formally established in 2025 following years of conflict in Las Anod between Somaliland forces and SSC-Khatumo militias.
Any sign of fracture in its legislature raises questions about whether the fledgling state can consolidate authority while still contesting territory and building institutions from scratch.
In their statement, the five MPs said they had spent considerable time trying to resolve disagreements over how the administration was being governed through consultation, but that these efforts “had failed to produce an outcome they could accept.” They promised further details on their decision at a later date.
A spokesperson for the North East administration is yet to comment publicly on the resignations, though officials close to the parliament have previously indicated they intend to press ahead with institution-building despite internal friction, according to regional media.
The resignations follow closely on the heels of another political shock. Lawmaker Fahiima Yusuf Quuje recently announced she was quitting the administration entirely, declaring her support for Somaliland and renouncing the “Greater Somalia” vision she had once championed, a move that prompted the regional parliament to take formal steps regarding her membership.
It is not yet clear whether the five latest lawmakers to resign intend to align with Somaliland, another administration, or remain independent. Unlike Quuje, they have not indicated any intention to defect.
The North East administration, whose formation is tied to broader territorial disputes involving Puntland and Somaliland, has also faced security challenges in areas it claims. Analysts say the cohesion of its 83-member parliament — assembled last year through a clan-based power-sharing formula, will be tested further if more lawmakers follow suit.
Whether Sunday’s resignations mark an isolated internal dispute or the start of a wider unraveling will likely depend on the administration’s response and whether other MPs choose to follow.
