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Former Somali Prime Ministers arrive in Mogadishu ahead of major opposition gathering
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    Thursday May 22, 2025

    Mogadishu (HOL) – Former Somali Prime Ministers Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke and Hassan Ali Khaire arrived in Mogadishu on Thursday afternoon, ahead of a major opposition conference expected to take place in the capital in the coming days.

    Federal lawmakers and political allies received the two former leaders at Adden Adde International Airport, signaling the mounting momentum of a growing opposition front preparing to challenge President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration.

    The upcoming meeting, described as a “big anti-federal government gathering,” will bring together various opposition figures to discuss critical political and security challenges, particularly in the context of the anticipated one-person, one-vote elections.

    This development comes amid escalating political tensions. Earlier this week, 103 members of Somalia’s bicameral parliament issued a joint statement demanding President Mohamud’s resignation.

    The lawmakers accused Hassan Sheikh of abandoning his constitutional duties, dismantling the National Consultative Council (NCC), interfering in federal member states such as Puntland and Jubbaland, and using state resources to support a partisan political agenda. They also cited his failure to follow through on a March 29 pledge to convene a national dialogue, instead alleging that his administration has adopted a divisive approach that threatens national unity.

    Critics have also pointed to the controversial formation of the Justice and Stability Party (JSP), launched this week with President Mohamud as chairman and 2026 presidential candidate. Key figures named to top positions in the party include Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, Deputy Prime Minister Salah Jama, First Deputy Speaker Sadia Yasin, and Southwest State President Abdiaziz Laftagareen.

    The formation of JSP has intensified accusations of partisanship, with opposition leaders accusing the president of blurring the lines between state functions and party politics.

    In response to criticism, President Mohamud defended the military and questioned the motives of opposition figures who doubted its capability. “A politician who says a battalion can’t fight—what is he really saying? Is he defending Al-Shabaab? Is he trying to alarm the public that Mogadishu will fall?” he said, during a recent speech.

    The upcoming opposition meeting in Mogadishu is expected to heighten political stakes, with implications for Somalia’s fragile electoral process, federal-state relations, and national unity.

     





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