Xawaadle Leaders Call for Protests as HirShabelle Electoral Dispute Deepens

BELEDWEYNE — The Xawaadle clan has declared it will not accept any election held in HirShabelle without a prior political agreement, following several days of consultations by politicians and community elders in Beledweyne.

The outcome of the meetings was announced at a press conference by Hiirey Ahmed Roble, former Secretary of the Banadir Regional Administration, who said the consultations produced a unified Xawaadle position on the election and the political situation in the Hiiraan region.

“The clan reiterates that no forced election, one lacking consensus, can take place in Hiiraan region, including its cities, districts and villages,” Hiirey said.

He stated that the Xawaadle position reflects consultations among politicians and elders, who agreed that any election lacking community consent and political agreement cannot be held in the region.

Planned Demonstrations

The consultations participants also agreed to hold peaceful demonstrations on September 24 to express opposition to the election process. Hiirey called on residents across the region’s districts and villages to mobilise peacefully and make their position known.

He thanked residents in Jalalaqsi, Matabaan and Jawiil, saying they had already demonstrated their opposition to what he described as a unilateral election process.

Hiirey said the planned demonstrations would show public opposition to an election process he described as forced and lacking consensus among stakeholders.

Dispute Over Leadership

The dispute comes amid growing tensions over the upcoming Hirshabelle leadership election scheduled for September 30. Xawaadle politicians and community leaders have sought the state’s top leadership position, but those demands have been challenged by the Justice and Unity Party’s decision to renominate incumbent President Ali Abdullahi Hussein Gudlaawe as its candidate.

Hirshabelle Vice President Yusuf Hagar Dabageed has previously warned that elections cannot be held in Hiiraan region without a political agreement and broad consensus, saying anyone attempting to organise a vote without such an agreement would bear responsibility for any consequences.

Tensions have already produced direct security incidents. On September 7, gunmen identified by local reporting as Macawisley militia attacked a voter-registration centre in Beledweyne, killing one person and wounding two others.

Critical Note

The Xawaadle clan’s rejection of the September 30 election without a prior political agreement reflects the unresolved grievances that have shaped Hirshabelle politics since the state’s formation. The power-sharing formula that has governed the region, with the presidency alternating between the Abgaal and Xawaadle communities, is being tested by the decision to award the Justice and Unity Party ticket to the incumbent Gudlaawe rather than a Xawaadle figure.

The consultations in Beledweyne and the planned demonstrations signal that a significant segment of the Xawaadle community does not accept the current electoral process. The National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has set September 30 as polling day and is proceeding with preparations, but the commission’s ability to conduct a credible vote depends on the willingness of all parties to participate and accept the outcome.

What remains unclear is whether the Xawaadle position will translate into a unified boycott, further disruptions to voter registration, or a broader political crisis that could destabilise the region. The federal government has backed the Gudlaawe candidacy, and the coming days will test whether the electoral process can proceed without wider community consent or whether the dispute escalates into a security crisis.