MOGADISHU (SD) — A meeting held today by members of the two houses of the Federal Parliament of Somalia, intended to debate amendments to certain articles of the constitution, ended in failure after chaos and violence erupted, leading to the session being adjourned.

The violence that occurred during today’s meeting resulted in injuries to MP Adar Hareed, who was hospitalized after sustaining a leg wound. She stated that the injury was inflicted by a police officer who entered the parliamentary chamber.

This is the second related meeting held by the two houses of the federal parliament that has ended in chaos and violence; the previous one took place on the 28th of last January.

Opposition MPs, who argued that the constitutional amendment plan lacked consensus and a proper legal process, rejected the agenda of the two sessions. In contrast, MPs from the ruling side wanted to proceed with amendments to articles 5 through 9 of the constitution.

The Somali Future Council has repeatedly called on President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud to completely halt the constitutional amendments, which it considers a matter of urgent national importance. However, the president has accelerated the process of moving forward with these articles.

The Future Council, which includes Puntland, Jubaland, and the Forum for National Salvation, has described the constitutional amendments as a departure from the agreement reached at the Mogadishu conference. They argue the process undermines the consensus previously built.

The Federal Parliament is failing its primary function. When debate is replaced by brawls and gunfire, the foundational principle of resolving conflict through dialogue collapses.

The conflict directly pits the Federal Government against powerful Federal Member States. The states’ boycott and condemnation suggest a deepening rift in the federal model, risking a constitutional or even territorial breakdown.

This level of instability and institutional violence will alarm international partners (like the EU, US, AU, and UN) who are invested in Somalia’s state-building. It jeopardizes security gains, economic plans, and the electoral timeline.

This is more than a parliamentary scuffle. It is a symptom of Somalia’s unresolved national question: how to share power between the center and the regions. The violence in parliament signifies that these fundamental disputes over the constitution and federalism are no longer being contained within political channels and are threatening to destabilize the entire political order. The country appears to be at a critical juncture, moving backwards towards conflict rather than forward towards a stable, agreed-upon system of governance.