Open Letter to the Prosperity Party Leadership

From the Somali Community of Scholars and Concerned Citizens

Subject: A Call for Responsible Intervention and Reflective Leadership in the Somali Region

Addis Ababa | Jigjiga — April 2025

To the esteemed leadership of the Prosperity Party,

We, members of the Somali community of scholars, intellectuals, and concerned citizens — both at home and across the diaspora — write this letter with a heavy heart and a sharpened sense of civic duty. The silence of the past can no longer be afforded. The cost of inaction has escalated. And the weight of responsibility now rests squarely on your shoulders.

The Somali Region of Ethiopia, once poised to be a model of federal rejuvenation, now finds itself teetering on the edge of political decay and institutional paralysis. What was once hailed as a golden era — a rare window of peace, self-rule, and federal accommodation ushered in by Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed — has tragically devolved into an era marked by exclusion, political vendetta, administrative incompetence, and deepening societal fragmentation.

We must speak plainly. The president of the region, Mr. Mustafe M. Omer, entrusted with a historic opportunity, has squandered it. His tenure has been characterized by increasingly erratic decisions, divisive rhetoric, institutional manipulation, and a disturbing trend of targeting specific communities, elders, and critical voices. What many interpret as a deliberate campaign of suppression may, however, reveal something even more alarming: a possible deterioration in the president’s mental and emotional fitness to govern.

Leadership is not measured by intentions alone, but by the ability to steer complexity with wisdom, to unite rather than divide, and to uplift rather than personalize governance. If President Mustafe believes he is serving the people while delivering fragmentation, then we must consider whether he is governing through clarity — or confusion. We are deeply concerned that what may now be unfolding is not merely a political crisis, but a psychological and institutional one. This is no longer about performance; it may be about capacity.

We are not calling for character assassination, but for courageous reflection. We are not advocating humiliation, but accountability. The Prosperity Party, as the custodian of this federation’s political architecture, must urgently evaluate whether the region’s current leadership remains viable — or whether the Somali Region, its citizens, and its future are being held hostage by dysfunction under the guise of leadership.

To continue down this path is not just a disservice to the Somali people — it is a betrayal of the federal promise and a breach of the public trust placed in your party. We believe a graceful transition is still possible. But that possibility narrows with each day of denial.

We therefore urgently call on the Prosperity Party to:

 1. Establish an Independent Review into the state of governance in the Somali Region, with special attention to institutional decay, rising public dissatisfaction, and allegations of nepotism, tribal targeting, and mismanagement.

 2. Facilitate a Peaceful Leadership Transition through dialogue, not coercion, to ensure that the region is led by competent and emotionally stable leadership capable of representing all communities with fairness and foresight.

 3. Engage Trusted Somali Figures — including respected scholars, elders, and non-partisan actors — to advise on stabilizing the region’s political climate and preserving what remains of the federal trust.

 4. Restore Institutional Legitimacy by ensuring that public offices are freed from personalistic control, and that state resources are not misused for familial gain or political intimidation.

If ignored, the current trajectory may not only damage the credibility of the Prosperity Party in the Somali Region, but may also invite dangerous instability that risks reversing all the gains of the past seven years.

This is a call to act — not out of political calculation, but out of historical responsibility.

For once, let us prioritize the people over personalities, the truth over tolerance of dysfunction, and the future over the fragile egos of today.

With deep concern and hopeful conviction,

The Somali Community of Scholars and Concerned Citizens

Ethiopia & Diaspora

“When leaders can no longer see the damage of their own rule, it is the silence of institutions that becomes complicit in the collapse of nations.”