Friday February 20, 2026
Mogadishu (HOL) — The United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTAMS) on Thursday welcomed the formal launch of talks between the Federal Government of Somalia and the Somali Future Council, describing the dialogue as a critical step toward resolving the country’s political impasse.
The meeting, chaired by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at the Presidential Palace, brings together senior government officials and opposition-aligned leaders amid heightened political tensions and with less than three months remaining in the current administration’s constitutional term.
“With the expiry of constitutional mandates approaching and many national priorities requiring agreement – including elections – we encourage further consensus on the way forward in a spirit of goodwill and amity, and in a timely manner,” the mission said.
The consultative conference is expected to last several days and aims to establish a structured agenda for negotiations on elections and constitutional reform issues that have sharply divided the government and opposition.
According to Villa Somalia, Thursday’s session focused on assessing the overall national situation, including the electoral process, political stability, drought relief efforts and operations against al-Shabab, referred to by authorities as “Kharijites.”
The talks are widely seen as pivotal in determining whether Somalia can reach a negotiated electoral framework and avoid a constitutional vacuum as the current term nears its end.
