The Somali State Resistance (), Also known as MGS, was an opposition group representing the

Somali Region The Somali Region (, , ), also known as Soomaali Galbeed () and officially the Somali Regional State, is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in eastern Ethiopia. It is the largest region of Ethiopia. The state borders the Ethiopian regions ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

that joined the United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces in 2021 during the Tigray War. The Somali State Resistance emerged as a entity in 2021 under the leadership of Mahamud Ugas Muhumed, who aligned the group with the

Tigray People's Liberation Front The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF; ), also known as the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, is a left-wing Ethnic nationalism, ethnic nationalist, paramilitary group, and the former ruling party of Ethiopia. It was classified as a ter ...

(TPLF) and eight other fronts during the Tigray War. The Somali State Resistance has stated their willingness to use both force and negotiation to attain their goals. The group issued a statement to the people of the Somali Region on 3 December 2021.

History

In 2021, the group known as the Somali State Resistance, which has unknown origins, joined the United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces (UFEFCF) against the

Ethiopian government The government of Ethiopia () is the federal government of Ethiopia. It is structured in a framework of a federal republic, federal parliamentary system, parliamentary republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, prime minister is the hea ...

during the Tigray War. The Somali State Resistance did not exist prior to the signing ceremony in

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. The representative Mahamud Ugas served as Regional Minister of Planning and Economic Development of the

from 1991 until 1995. From 1995 until 2000, Ugas worked as a consultant and field researcher for various humanitarian organizations. According to his biography, Mahamud left

in 2000 and sought political asylum in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Neither Mohamud Ugas nor the Somali State Resistance has any official links to the

Ogaden National Liberation Front The Ogaden National Liberation Front, abbreviated ONLF, (, JWXO; ) is a Somali nationalist armed and political organization seeking self-determination for the Somali-inhabited Ogaden (Somali region) of eastern Ethiopia. Founded in 1984 by forme ...

(ONLF), however Mohamud Ugas reportedly attended the 2012 Nairobi peace talks between the Ethiopian government and the then ONLF insurgency as a representative from the Ogaden Human Rights Committee. The group has been inactive since 19 December 2021, suggesting that it was likely a proxy organization built upon the political ambition to replace the ruling

Prosperity Party The Prosperity Party (; ) is a political party in Ethiopia that was established on 1 December 2019 as a successor to the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. It is currently the ruling party of Ethiopia. ...

party.

References

United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces Ethnic political parties in Ethiopia Guerrilla organizations National liberation movements in Africa Rebel groups in Ethiopia {{Ethiopia-party-stub