# Somalia seeks to scrap C6+ framework and push bilateral ties instead
IO Digest Desk
Somalia’s federal government has called for the dissolution of the C6+ international coordination framework, arguing on June 12, 2025 that it no longer reflects the country’s current political and security position. The message, reported by ChimpReports, said Somalia wants to move away from a post-conflict coordination model and toward bilateral partnerships.
The C6+ group has long included the UN, African Union, European Union, IGAD, the United States and the United Kingdom. According to the report, Somali State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Omar said the structure was created during a period of fragility and transition that no longer describes Somalia today. In his view, continuing to treat Somalia as if it were still under externally guided political management undermines the legitimacy of Somali institutions.
That argument is politically important because it is not only about procedure. It is about how Somalia wants to be seen. Omar’s line was that the country is now a sovereign state with functioning constitutional institutions, a maturing democratic process and a clear national vision for peace and development. The demand to retire the C6+ label is therefore also a demand for a different diplomatic posture.
The report places the statement against a difficult security backdrop. Somalia is still fighting Al-Shabaab, and over the past year security forces with clan militias and African Union support have retaken territory in central regions. Yet the insurgency remains active, especially in Mogadishu, through bombings, assassinations and extortion. That means the government is making a sovereignty argument while still relying on outside and local partners to stabilize the country.
Omar said Somalia now wants international engagement grounded in mutual respect and shared goals. That formula matters because it shifts the conversation from oversight to partnership. Instead of being managed through a standing external forum, Somalia wants relationships that are more direct and, in its view, more equal.
The C6+ framework itself has been a fixture of Somalia’s state-building era for more than a decade. Ending or replacing it would not erase foreign interest in Somalia, but it would signal that Mogadishu believes the old architecture has outlived the conditions that created it.
The evidence in the packet does not show that the framework has actually been dissolved. It does show that Somalia’s government wants that change, and that it is publicly framing the request as part of a broader claim that the country has moved beyond its transitional label.
In practice, that makes this a diplomatic test as much as a policy demand. Somalia is asking its partners to recognize a shift in status, not just in language. Whether those partners accept the message will shape how the government’s new posture plays out in future talks, aid coordination and security cooperation.
