Mogadishu (Somalia Today) — Somalia’s federal government on Sunday rejected demands issued by an opposition-backed group in Kismaayo, further escalating tensions with key regional leaders over the plan for the country’s next election.
Defence Minister Ahmed Macallin Fiqi accused the presidents of Jubaland and Puntland—along with opposition figures at the Kismaayo meeting—of leaving earlier talks with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, only to return now seeking fresh talks on a short deadline.
Fiqi dismissed the Kismaayo statement as confusing and selfish. He described the summit as a divided group of politicians who could not agree among themselves while demanding changes from the government.
He insisted the president has kept “the dialogue table” open and said the summit’s call for talks was a reversal by leaders who once rejected negotiations.
Kismayo deadline
The government’s response followed warnings from the Kismaayo forum—which included senior opposition figures, lawmakers, and regional leaders—against extending government mandates.
The group called for immediate national talks to avoid a major political crisis, setting a specific deadline for President Mohamud to convene a broad conference by January 20, 2026.
In its communiqué, the forum warned it would “never accept any term extension for constitutional bodies,” cautioning that delays could trigger “political instability, a legal void, and a security breakdown.”
The leaders highlighted specific constitutional deadlines to support their case. They noted that the term for the House of the People expires on April 14, 2026, followed by the president’s mandate on May 15, 2026.
Beyond these dates, the forum declared recent one-sided constitutional changes to be invalid. They argued these changes threaten Somalia’s federal system and deepen mistrust ahead of the election season.
The group also criticized the government’s push for direct voting in the Banadir region, calling it an “election driven by one group.” They warned that moving ahead without a national deal would ignore the Provisional Constitution.
Finally, the statement urged leaders of Federal Member States with expired mandates to hold their own local elections immediately “in accordance with their constitutions,” signaling that disputes over legitimacy extend beyond the federal center.
War of words
The dispute has quickly turned into a fight over who walked away from compromise first.
Fiqi noted that Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni left talks in late 2022, and Jubaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam “Madobe” left discussions in 2024.
He argued both leaders are now trying to restart talks on terms they previously rejected, per the statement.
President Mohamud, speaking at a ceremony marking the Somali Police Force’s 82nd anniversary in Mogadishu on Saturday, mocked the opposition’s choice of location.
He questioned why they moved their meetings from the capital to Jubaland, insisting that political actors must reach an agreement among themselves before presenting a position to the government.
“They used to meet at Hotel Jazeera. I cannot understand the logic of how they can now come to Kismayo and ‘fight’ from there,” Mohamud said.
Even while mocking the summit, Mohamud showed he was open to talks if the opposition could unite on a single plan rather than presenting competing demands.
A contested transition
Behind the angry words is a serious fight over how Somalia will manage a planned move from a clan-based election model to direct voting, and who gets to make the rules as deadlines approach.
The gap widened in March 2024 after Somalia’s parliament approved changes to the constitution. The government called it a necessary reform, but opponents called it a late-term unilateral rule change.
Puntland responded by pulling back from the federal system, saying it would not recognize the central government until the changes are approved by a nationwide vote.
This split shapes the current problem because Somali elections often depend less on specific dates than on agreements among rival power centers. These groups often distrust each other’s control over state institutions and security forces.
Fiqi countered by calling the summit a political show by leaders who once rejected dialogue and now demand special treatment. He said the government has kept an open door, while opponents have switched between boycotts and risky delays.
Both sides say they want dialogue, but their starting points are different. The opposition wants firm timelines and rules; the government wants its rivals to solve their own differences and return to talks without conditions.
In a political system where arguments over process often turn into arguments over power, the next phase will test whether leaders can turn rival statements into a working plan before the dispute becomes a bigger crisis.
