Addis Abeba — Three Somali political organizations have announced the formation of a new alliance, the Somali People's Alliance for Self-Determination (SPAS), declaring what they described as the end of restraint and engagement with Ethiopia's federal government.
In a joint declaration issued on 18 January in Jigjiga, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), the Congress for Somali Cause (CSC), and the Somali Regional Democratic Alliance (SRDA) said the alliance aims to serve as a unified political, diplomatic, and civic platform to "consolidate Somali political agency" and advance what they called the collective rights and political future of the Somali people.
The groups argued that the incorporation of Somali territories into the Ethiopian state occurred during the colonial-era "Scramble for Africa" and subsequent historical processes that, they claim, did not involve the free consent of the Somali population. According to the statement, successive Ethiopian governments--imperial, military, and post-1991--have presided over systems characterized by political exclusion, centralized rule, and persistent rights violations in the Somali Region.
Referring to the political transition that followed Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed taking power in 2018, the groups said Somali political actors had chosen a path of peace by laying down arms and pursuing their demands through nonviolent means. They stated that this decision was made despite what they described as a long-standing pattern of mistrust between Somali movements and the federal government.
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However, the declaration asserts that this period of restraint has now ended. The alliance accused the federal government of intensifying repression, facilitating land dispossession, and pursuing policies that it claims threaten the existence of the Somali people in the region. The statement characterized these actions as part of a broader historical pattern of marginalization and coercion.
The groups also revisited key historical moments, including the 19th-century annexation of the Ogaden, post-independence conflicts in the 1960s, and the 1977 Ogaden War, arguing that these episodes reflect a recurring cycle of rebellion and repression. They further claimed that reforms introduced since 2018 have failed to deliver meaningful autonomy or protection of rights.
Declaring that "the era of futile negotiation is over," the alliance said its repeated calls for dialogue had been met with what it described as dismissal and abuse. The statement concluded with a call for unity among Somalis and solidarity with other groups opposing what it termed tyranny and domination, while stopping short of detailing specific political or military steps the alliance intends to pursue.
Internal divisions within the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) have intensified over the past year, with rival factions emerging both inside Ethiopia and abroad. In 2025, reports indicated that the group had effectively split into two camps, one based in Jigjiga and another operating outside the country, amid growing accusations exchanged between senior leaders.
In April 2025, a faction of the ONLF announced the removal of its chairman, Abdirahman Mahdi, accusing him of actions that allegedly "endangered the unity of the front," according to state-affiliated media. The decision was announced during what the faction described as its second regular Central Committee meeting.
The group accused Abdirahman of obstructing the implementation of commitments made to the public following the ONLF's return to Ethiopia in 2018, when the movement renounced armed struggle and accepted the government's call for peaceful political participation. It further alleged that his actions undermined the organization's unity and contradicted its stated commitment to nonviolent political engagement.
During the same meeting, the faction appointed Abdikarim Sheikh Muse as acting chairman. State-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) reported that Abdikarim, previously the front's first vice-chair, would serve in the role until a chairman is elected by the general assembly.
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However, the decision was rejected by another ONLF faction, which described the meeting held in Jigjiga as "illegal and fraudulent." In a statement, the faction alleged that the gathering was orchestrated by the ruling Prosperity Party (PP) and facilitated by the Somali Regional administration to install what it called "regime loyalists" within the organization.
The statement further accused regional authorities of disbursing funds to recruit individuals to pose as ONLF Central Committee members in order to legitimize what it termed a "fake congress," alleging the move was aimed at pre-empting the group's own Central Committee meeting scheduled for 20 May 2025.
