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The diplomatic community in Mogadishu has been in a frenzy as they try to salvage what little remains of the high-level talks between Somalia’s federal government and the opposition-aligned Somali Future Council (SFC).
The heightened diplomatic intervention follows last Sunday’s collapse of the tete-a-tete between the two sides without any agreement, widening the schism in the country’s electoral roadmap.
This was the second time the talks between the government and opposition had collapsed within February. The first attempt did not even materialise as the talks aborted when armed security for two regional presidents were turned back mid-air as they prepared to land in Mogadishu on February 1, 2026.
Last Sunday’s meeting held at Villa Somalia and chaired by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is reported to have started cordially before degenerating into accusations and counter-accusations, before eventually collapsing.
The talks were aimed at agreeing on a three-point framework: the formation of a federal election advisory committee, a timetable for regional elections, and a follow-up national summit scheduled for April 2026.
Sources close to the talks indicate the president was insistent that federal-level elections could not be discussed until local council elections are conducted first. Mohamud was also reluctant to open debate on elections in Galmudug, Hirshabelle and Southwest states during the session.
While the opposition has advocated for indirect elections in those three states, similar to what was recently held in Puntland and Jubbaland, the president was adamant that the management and direction of elections in those states fall under their respective leadership structures.
The standoff comes as President Mohamud pushes to transition Somalia toward a “one-person, one-vote” electoral system, a shift from the clan-based model, a move that has faced resistance from some regional leaders and opposition figures who argue it could concentrate power at the centre.
The opposition-SFC- is opposed to the plan purely on the basis of timeline and feasibility, arguing there’s no time and the country lacks the necessary political agreement to implement such changes before the next poll, expected to be in May.
SFC members called for an alternative electoral framework, warning the government against forcing through a unilateral system. It noted this could deepen political divisions and destabilise the fragile federal structure.
Federal institutions’ mandates are set to expire in approximately three months, increasing pressure for a negotiated settlement.
The Future Council has accused the government of pursuing unilateral constitutional amendments during negotiations and of barring more than 50 lawmakers from parliamentary sessions. It also alleged intimidation and political pressure against its members, claims the government has not publicly addressed in detail.
With tensions rising, the parties called for a brief recess with the hope that they would use the break to bridge the schism between the two groups, but it came to nought. With no progress in sight, the meeting adjourned without an agreement.
As the SFC retreated to their headquarters, the government side reconvened inside Villa Somalia to ponder their next move as the nation waited with bated breath.
With the opportunity gone and disappointment among observers who had hoped the talks would ease political tensions amid imminent constitutional timelines, it was the turn for diplomats to step out and sound out the leaders of the two antagonists to find a common front and get the talks on course again.
The United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS), alongside other international partners, met Monday with senior representatives of both the Federal Government of Somalia and SFC.
In a statement posted on social media, UNTMIS said it was disappointed that the two sides had not reached a deal in the discussions held so far.
However, UNTMIS welcomed the stated commitment by both parties to continue efforts toward a constructive resolution and urged renewed engagement.
The same day, the US embassy in Mogadishu issued a statement calling for dialogue and compromise to prevent a national crisis. The embassy called for a unified political process to safeguard the gains Somalia had recently made.
The embassy went further and linked political consensus to the fight against terrorism, noting that internal power struggles were distracting from the military offensive against Al Shabaab.
It is feared that without an agreed roadmap for the 2026 transition, the resulting legitimacy vacuum could embolden insurgents and unravel years of state-building efforts
The European Union ambassador to Somalia, Francesca Di Mauro, also chimed in using her iftar reception to call for dialogue and consensus towards the talks.
The ambassador is highly regarded by the stakeholders in Somalia as a trusted international partner. In the past, she’s used her position to bring together representatives of the government, opposition figures and civil society to focus on key national issues.
It is hoped that her intervention, together with that of other international partners, will result in the Mogadishu government and SFC having another session to thrash out the electoral and constitutional issues, paving the way for a peaceful election in May.
Meanwhile, the drought situation in Somalia seems to be heading for the worst, with one in three people facing severe food shortages, with conflict and soaring food prices pushing hunger levels close to those recorded during the near-famine of 2022.
According to the international NGO, Save the Children, new figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) show that 6.5 million people — about 32 per cent of the population — are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity after four consecutive failed rainy seasons depleted food reserves in several regions.
The organisation classifies more than 2 million people in Phase 4, or emergency levels, the second-highest IPC category, where urgent action is needed to save lives and livelihoods.
Children are among the hardest hit, with more than 1.84 million children aged six to 59 months feared to suffer from acute malnutrition by the end of this year, including 483,000 cases of severe acute malnutrition requiring urgent treatment.
This is besides outbreaks of acute watery diarrhoea, cholera, measles and diphtheria in parts of southern and central Somalia.
With the government so engrossed in having itself re-elected in a few months’ time, who will speak for the vulnerable and the starving children of Somalia?
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The diplomatic community in Mogadishu has been in a frenzy as they try to salvage what little remains of the high-level talks between Somalia’s federal government and the opposition-aligned Somali Future Council (SFC).
The heightened diplomatic intervention follows last Sunday’s collapse of the tete-a-tete between the two sides without any agreement, widening the schism in the country’s electoral roadmap.
This was the second time the talks between the government and opposition had collapsed within February. The first attempt did not even materialise as the talks aborted when armed security for two regional presidents were turned back mid-air as they prepared to land in Mogadishu on February 1, 2026.
Last Sunday’s meeting held at Villa Somalia and chaired by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is reported to have started cordially before degenerating into accusations and counter-accusations, before eventually collapsing.
The talks were aimed at agreeing on a three-point framework: the formation of a federal election advisory committee, a timetable for regional elections, and a follow-up national summit scheduled for April 2026.
Sources close to the talks indicate the president was insistent that federal-level elections could not be discussed until local council elections are conducted first. Mohamud was also reluctant to open debate on elections in Galmudug, Hirshabelle and Southwest states during the session.
While the opposition has advocated for indirect elections in those three states, similar to what was recently held in Puntland and Jubbaland, the president was adamant that the management and direction of elections in those states fall under their respective leadership structures.
The standoff comes as President Mohamud pushes to transition Somalia toward a “one-person, one-vote” electoral system, a shift from the clan-based model, a move that has faced resistance from some regional leaders and opposition figures who argue it could concentrate power at the centre.
The opposition-SFC- is opposed to the plan purely on the basis of timeline and feasibility, arguing there’s no time and the country lacks the necessary political agreement to implement such changes before the next poll, expected to be in May.
SFC members called for an alternative electoral framework, warning the government against forcing through a unilateral system. It noted this could deepen political divisions and destabilise the fragile federal structure.
Federal institutions’ mandates are set to expire in approximately three months, increasing pressure for a negotiated settlement.
The Future Council has accused the government of pursuing unilateral constitutional amendments during negotiations and of barring more than 50 lawmakers from parliamentary sessions. It also alleged intimidation and political pressure against its members, claims the government has not publicly addressed in detail.
With tensions rising, the parties called for a brief recess with the hope that they would use the break to bridge the schism between the two groups, but it came to nought. With no progress in sight, the meeting adjourned without an agreement.
As the SFC retreated to their headquarters, the government side reconvened inside Villa Somalia to ponder their next move as the nation waited with bated breath.
With the opportunity gone and disappointment among observers who had hoped the talks would ease political tensions amid imminent constitutional timelines, it was the turn for diplomats to step out and sound out the leaders of the two antagonists to find a common front and get the talks on course again.
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The United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS), alongside other international partners, met Monday with senior representatives of both the Federal Government of Somalia and SFC.
In a statement posted on social media, UNTMIS said it was disappointed that the two sides had not reached a deal in the discussions held so far.
However, UNTMIS welcomed the stated commitment by both parties to continue efforts toward a constructive resolution and urged renewed engagement.
The same day, the US embassy in Mogadishu issued a statement calling for dialogue and compromise to prevent a national crisis. The embassy called for a unified political process to safeguard the gains Somalia had recently made.
The embassy went further and linked political consensus to the fight against terrorism, noting that internal power struggles were distracting from the military offensive against Al Shabaab.
It is feared that without an agreed roadmap for the 2026 transition, the resulting legitimacy vacuum could embolden insurgents and unravel years of state-building efforts
The European Union ambassador to Somalia, Francesca Di Mauro, also chimed in using her
iftar
reception to call for dialogue and consensus towards the talks.
The ambassador is highly regarded by the stakeholders in Somalia as a trusted international partner. In the past, she’s used her position to bring together representatives of the government, opposition figures and civil society to focus on key national issues.
It is hoped that her intervention, together with that of other international partners, will result in the Mogadishu government and SFC having another session to thrash out the electoral and constitutional issues, paving the way for a peaceful election in May.
Meanwhile, the drought situation in Somalia seems to be heading for the worst, with one in three people facing severe food shortages, with conflict and soaring food prices pushing hunger levels close to those recorded during the near-famine of 2022.
According to the international NGO, Save the Children, new figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) show that 6.5 million people — about 32 per cent of the population — are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity after four consecutive failed rainy seasons depleted food reserves in several regions.
The organisation classifies more than 2 million people in Phase 4, or emergency levels, the second-highest IPC category, where urgent action is needed to save lives and livelihoods.
Children are among the hardest hit, with more than 1.84 million children aged six to 59 months feared to suffer from acute malnutrition by the end of this year, including 483,000 cases of severe acute malnutrition requiring urgent treatment.
This is besides outbreaks of acute watery diarrhoea, cholera, measles and diphtheria in parts of southern and central Somalia.
With the government so engrossed in having itself re-elected in a few months’ time, who will speak for the vulnerable and the starving children of Somalia?
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channel
on WhatsApp
By David Okwembah