Public outrage has surged on social media following Somalia's Family Minister Gen Bashir Mohamed Jama's post on X, featuring photos of himself and a male delegate representing Somalia at a UN conference focused on women’s issues.

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"It is tone-deaf for the Somali government to have men on the frontline, representing women at the conference," Fathiya Absie, a well-known Somali author and human rights activist, told the BBC.

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A senior civil servant informed the BBC that Somalia’s four-member delegation to the Women, Peace, and Security Focal Points Network event in New York included two women, though they were not pictured.

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Among the 197 delegates from 57 countries registered for the event, only 21 were men.

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A group photo from the event—held earlier this week—has sparked further criticism from Somalis online, with many accusing the government of downplaying women’s issues.

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Photos from the conference posted on social media included one of Gen Jama with his adviser, former MP Abdullahi Godah Barre, and another of the two in a meeting room with a third man, identified as an aide.

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"He was not the only male minister present - there were a lot of other male ministers, such as Japan and China," Mohamed Bashir, a senior civil servant at Somalia's Ministry of Family and Human Development, told the BBC.

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The two female delegates representing Somalia were identified as Iman Elman, a well-known military officer, and Sadia Mohammed Nur, a civil servant from the ministry, according to the source.

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The online backlash has renewed public criticism over the government’s July decision to rename the Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development to the Ministry of Family and Human Rights Development.

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This change occurred when Gen Jama, a high-ranking military officer with previous roles such as leading the intelligence agency and prison service, was appointed to head the ministry.

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"Removing the word 'women' from the ministry's title is an erasure of the struggles and specific needs of women. It generalises their issues under the broader term 'family,'" Ms Absie said.

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Women's rights in Somalia have been under scrutiny for many years.

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Women in Somalia - which has suffered a long civil war and a more recent Islamist insurgency - have long played a vital role in peacebuilding, often stepping into leadership roles and pushing for greater political participation.

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Despite this, there are not many women in positions of political influence.

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"Women were always the minority in leadership and now they have given the remaining ministries to men," Ms Absie said.

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Some did defend the government, saying they did not see anything wrong with having a man with experience fronting the family ministry.

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But the voices of those calling for a stronger female presence are growing louder - and Mr Bashir said the ministry would be striving to give women a more significant role in future.

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