MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s major opposition bloc, the Somali Salvation Forum, has joined forces with the presidents of Puntland and Jubaland to form a new political alliance aimed at challenging President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, whose term is set to expire in the coming months.
In a meeting held this week in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, Jubaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam Madobe and Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni met with key opposition figures including former Prime Ministers Abdi Farah Shirdon and Hassan Ali Khaire, as well as MP Abdirahman Abdishakur.
In a joint communiqué issued on Thursday, the leaders announced the formation of a new coalition dubbed the Council for the Future of Somalia, aimed at coordinating efforts to oppose what they describe as President Mohamud’s unilateral and controversial political agenda.
The move comes amid mounting opposition to the president’s push for a nationwide one-person, one-vote election – an initiative critics argue is unfeasible under current security and political conditions. Opponents, including Jubaland, Puntland, and the Somali Salvation Forum, have accused Mohamud of using the electoral push to justify a potential extension of his mandate.
The announcement of the new alliance also threatens to derail Mohamud’s ongoing efforts to reconcile with Somalia’s federal member states. The president had signaled intentions to begin talks with Jubaland and Puntland to resolve long-standing political tensions.
President Mohamud was scheduled to travel to Kismayo, the capital of Jubaland, this week to meet with President Madobe. However, the meeting now appears uncertain, with sources indicating that Madobe has refused to participate unless Mogadishu formally recognizes his 2024 re-election and the legitimacy of his administration an acknowledgment Villa Somalia has so far declined to give.
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