For years, Somali Prosperity Party (PP) leaders — Mustafa Omer, Adam Farah, and Ahmed Shide — have repeated the slogan that Somali people are finally “at the center” of Ethiopia’s politics. They insist that, under Prosperity Party rule, Somali voices are no longer marginal but central to the federation.
But reality tells a different story. The recent inauguration of the “Ogaden Natural Gas Development Project – Phase I” exposed the hollowness of this rhetoric.
Mustafa’s Contradiction on the Name “Ogaden”
Mustafa Omer has unequivocally criticized the ONLF (Ogaden National Liberation Front), arguing that even the name “Ogaden” is tribal, divisive, and illegitimate. He has used this argument to undermine the movement and to distance Somali youth from their own history of struggle for self-determination.
Yet, in October 2025, Mustafa stood on stage next to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed beneath a massive billboard that read: “Ogaden Natural Gas Development Project – Phase I.”
If the name “Ogaden” is illegitimate when claimed by Somalis demanding rights and representation, why is it legitimate when stamped on a state-backed extraction project to export Somali resources?
This hypocrisy reveals the truth: Mustafa’s rejection of the name Ogaden is not about principle — it is about political convenience. When the name is tied to Somali resistance, it is demonized. When the same name is used to exploit Somali land and gas, it is celebrated.
“At the Center” or Kept in the Dark?
Even more revealing is Abiy Ahmed’s own admission in parliament: Somali leaders, including Mustafa Omer, were not aware of the details of the gas project before its launch.
This humiliation strips bare the false claim that Somali PP elites are “at the center” of power. They are not partners. They are bystanders, excluded from decisions about their own land and resources. Their only role is to provide cover — standing on stage, smiling, while others dictate the future of Somali people.
A Project Without Somali Consent
Like past regimes, Abiy Ahmed has pushed ahead with the gas project in Somali region without community consultation, environmental safeguards, or transparency. The social, health, and environmental hazards have already been reported by international journals. But no Somali voices were consulted, and no Somali officials — not even Mustafa Omer — were given oversight.
This is not inclusion. This is humiliation wrapped in rhetoric.
The Real Question
The real issue is not about slogans like “Ethiopianism” or Mustafa’s stage-managed role in Prosperity Party politics. The real question is this: When will Somali people have genuine representation, chosen freely through fair elections, and empowered to decide their own future?
Until that day, every billboard, every speech, and every ribbon-cutting ceremony will only remind Somali people of how deeply they remain excluded — even as their land and gas are taken from under their feet.
Somali dignity cannot be traded for empty rhetoric.
Somali resources cannot be stolen without Somali consent.
Somali people are not props for Addis Ababa