Mr Farmajo's demand may have been partly motivated by growing discussion among international donors of a "two-track approach". This entails foreign governments and agencies engaging with both the TFG and any regional administrations that demonstrate they are able to secure their jurisdictions. The US first announced its intention to adopt a two-track approach in late 2010, citing the administrations in Somaliland and Puntland as likely development partners. This move is motivated primarily by a desire to establish bulwarks against the spread of al-Shabab in the country and elsewhere in the region, but other donors are now considering the approach in broader terms.

A recent report by a Belgian-based security think-tank, International Crisis Group, Somalia: The Transitional Government on Life Support, was highly critical of the TFG and called on the UN and other donors to begin supporting and engaging with local administrations directly in light of its ineffectiveness. The transitional government is thus probably concerned that it will become increasingly marginalised by donors, as it controls only part of the capital, has little political support, is paralysed by in-fighting and has failed to deliver anything of substance to date.