MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s government has declared the international partner group known as C6+ outdated and obsolete, calling for its disbandment as a measure to stop external pressure on Mogadishu to open dialogue with the opposition amid a deepening electoral dispute.
In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan, the Somali government noted that the C6+ – which includes the UN, the EU, IGAD, US, UK, Ethiopia and Kenya – was formed in 2010 during the country’s transitional period, when institutions were still nascent and required guidance. It argued that the current context has changed significantly and no longer necessitates such oversight.
“In this new context, the continuation of the C6+ as a tool of external political coordination is both outdated and counterproductive. It is not aligned with the principles of partnership, mutual respect and national ownership that underpin Somalia’s relations with the international community today,” the Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in the letter.
“Accordingly, the Federal Government considers the C6+ to be an obsolete structure whose original purpose and logic no longer apply. We therefore urge all partners to engage Somalia through established and recognized frameworks that reflect our current status, such as bilateral cooperation.”
However, analysts question the timing of the letter, noting that it comes as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud faces mounting opposition from regional states and political rivals over his push for a one-person-one-vote election model. Critics argue the model is unfeasible and serves as a tactic to delay elections.
Rashid Abdi, a prominent analyst at Nairobi-based Sahan Research, said the letter coincides with Villa Somalia’s apparent attempt to deflect international pressure and prevent a unified external front against the president’s controversial electoral agenda.
“The C6+ was never an effective instrument and remained for the most part a body blighted by internal divisions and incoherence. Its demise is not catastrophic,” Abdi wrote in a post on X.
“But, by seeking its disbandment what HSM is signaling is his determination to pursue his authoritarian state-building project and to dismantle all possible obstacles to his goals.”
Abdi also suggested that Mogadishu was unsettled by the recent oversight role assigned to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, fearing a return to the transitional era where international partners held significant control over Somalia’s electoral decisions.
He added that the kind of partnerships Mogadishu appears to favor now are those with Middle Eastern powers, driven by oil deals and political patronage, rather than by liberal values that promote democratic transition and power alternation.
Contact us: info@somaliguardian.com
