Somali lawmaker and former minister Fardowsa Osman Egal formally resigned from the Justice and Unity Party (JSP) on Monday, marking the latest defection from President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s political camp less than a year before national elections.
Egal’s departure follows a series of high-profile exits from the ruling party, including that of former presidential candidate Abdirahman Odowaa, signalling growing internal fractures within JSP. With electoral campaigning already underway, the loss of a sitting MP from Puntland could weaken the party’s foothold in the semi-autonomous federal state, where political allegiances remain fluid.
Egal, who previously served as Somalia’s Minister of Transport and Aviation, announced her decision in a brief public statement. She also stepped down from her role as the party’s secretary for oil and minerals.
“Resignation. I, MP Fardowsa Osman Egal, hereby resign from the Justice and Unity Party (JSP),” the statement read.
“I was the secretary of oil and minerals. Wabillaahi Towfiiq,” Egal said without elaborating on her reasons.
Local political commentators and social media users quickly weighed in on the resignation, with some questioning why a parliamentary representative would hold an oil portfolio within a party structure and others advising Egal to secure a new political base before abandoning her current one.
Egal represents a constituency in Puntland, a region that has often maintained a tense relationship with the federal government in Mogadishu. Her resignation reduces JSP’s parliamentary representation at a time when President Mohamud is seeking to consolidate support for a second term.
The party has not yet issued an official response to Egal’s departure.