Nairobi (Somalia Today) — A new Somali opposition alliance formed by influential regional leaders and key political figures plans to hold its first general conference in the port city of Kismayo by the end of 2025, sources familiar with the group’s planning said.
The “Council for Somalia’s Future” will use the Kismayo assembly to finalize its leadership and strategy, the sources added.
The meeting marks a significant escalation in a political dispute over constitutional changes. It also reflects rising concerns that the president intends to extend his term unconstitutionally ahead of the 2026 elections.
Leaders established the alliance in early October in Nairobi, uniting the leaders of Somalia’s Puntland and Jubaland states with the National Salvation Forum, a coalition of prominent opposition figures.
Its formation signals a deepening and coordinated challenge to the federal government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
The plan took shape during the Council’s Executive Technical Committee meeting in Nairobi on November 5. Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe chaired the session, and former Prime Ministers Hassan Ali Khaire and Mohamed Hussein Roble attended, according to sources.
Deepening election disputes
Somalia’s political landscape remains fractured ahead of its 2026 electoral cycle. The federal government in Mogadishu is locked in a protracted dispute with several federal member states, most notably Puntland and Jubaland.
According to the International Crisis Group, tensions center on electoral reforms and constitutional changes.
Critics, including the new opposition council, argue the measures are designed to centralize power and extend the president’s mandate beyond its May 2026 limit.
The core of the dispute lies in a package of constitutional amendments approved by the federal parliament earlier in the year.
The government of President Mohamud argues these changes are necessary to stabilize the political system.
The reforms replace the current clan-based indirect election model with a “one person, one vote” universal suffrage system. They also extend presidential and federal terms from four to five years. Moreover, they grant the president new powers, including the authority to appoint and dismiss the prime minister without parliamentary approval.
Critics, however, view the reforms as a power grab. The leaders of Puntland and Jubaland, key members of the new Somali opposition alliance, have fiercely rejected the amendments.
Puntland’s government, which has a long-standing dispute with Mogadishu over autonomy and resources, states the constitutional changes are “illegal.” It has also threatened to operate as an independent entity.
The decision to hold the opposition conference in Kismayo, the political capital of Jubaland, sends a direct message of defiance to the federal administration in Mogadishu, commonly referred to as Villa Somalia.
Opposition Kismayo conference
The upcoming conference is set to establish the leadership framework that will guide the opposition bloc through the electoral transition.
Two key proposals are under discussion, sources said. One would create a joint leadership system that shares authority between the federal member states and the National Salvation Forum. Another would designate former president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a key opposition figure, as the chairperson for the Council’s general conferences.
According to a declaration from its founding meeting on October 2, the Council’s objective is to safeguard Somalia’s democratic process and counter any attempts to undermine the constitutional order.
Participants in the October talks included President Madobe, Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni, and representatives from the National Salvation Forum, including MP Abdirahman Abdishakur.
Council members stress the initiative is a constitutional effort to restore accountability.
As the Kismayo conference nears, the newly coordinated Somali opposition alliance moves to establish a parallel track for the 2026 elections. Consequently, the alliance sets the stage for a protracted political showdown.
The federal government in Mogadishu did not immediately respond to a Somalia Today request for comment on the Council’s formation or its plans.
