Concerns raised over alleged recruitment of Somali youth for political conflict

The Somali Regional Government stated that approximately 50 youths planning to depart through Bosaso were rescued and returned home. This incident has reignited debate about the exploitation of vulnerable youth for political or military objectives. The controversy coincides with an increasingly visible political campaign by Abdirahman Mahdi, former ONLF Chairman, who lost an internal leadership struggle within the Ogaden National Liberation Front.

Mahdi has reportedly appeared at meetings of the anti-Ethiopian government Tsimdo Initiative in Port Sudan, with claims of establishing contacts in Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia. Observers question the attempt to revive a strategy that struggled even when the ONLF was stronger and more united. The ONLF, once the dominant political and military organization in the region, faced military pressure, internal divisions, and changing regional dynamics, leading to a peace agreement in 2018.

However, the transition to electoral politics proved challenging, and the ONLF's Fourth General Assembly in 2019, which elected Abdirahman Mahdi as chairman, led to deep internal divisions and the organization splitting into rival factions. Mahdi's faction adopted a confrontational stance toward the regional government and eventually lost its official status, with Abdika