The Former Prime Ministers of Somali Federal Gov’t, Hon. Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarake and Hon. Hassan Ali Khaire yesterday afternoon arrived in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. The duo are expected to attend a large meeting that the opposition groups are holding in Mogadishu in the days to come. The two former Prime Ministers were greeted upon arrival at Adden Adde Int’l Airport by Members of the Somali Federal Parliament, and allied politicians which shows that there is a growing movement which is spearheaded by the opposition groups who are committed to hold the incumbent Somali President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud accountable.
The planned meeting which is going to the be the first that is staunchly against the Somali Federal Gov’t has extended invitations to various politicians from the opposition in order to discuss the current political stalemate as well as the security challenges that the country is faced with particularly those that are associated with one-man one-vote elections.
The political change comes at a time when political tensions have escalated at the beginning of this week. 103 Members of Upper and Lower House of Somali Federal Parliament have jointly issued a statement calling for the immediate resignation of the incumbent Somali President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
The MP’s from Somalia’s both houses have levelled accusations against the incumbent Somali President that he deviated from his constitutional duties, dismantled the National Consultative Conference (NCC) , meddled the internal affairs of regional administrations of Puntland and Jubaland, and that he used public money for his own political organization.
They alleged that the Somali President has failed to honor his promises that he made on March 29, which was to extend an invitation to a national dialogue. They also accused his gov’t that it has put in place a policy of diving the community which poses a threat to the unity of Somalia.
The criticisms of the opposition focused on particularly the establishment of new political organization dubbed Justice and Unity which was unveiled while the incumbent Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is the Chairman and the flag bearer of the political organization in the upcoming 2026 presidential polls.
Senior leaders of the Justice and Unity party are the current Somali Prime Minister, Hamze Abdi Barre, Deputy Prime Minister, Salah Jama, Deputy Speaker of the parliament, Sa’adiya Yasin and the President of Southwest State, Abdiasis Laftagareen.
The establishment of Justice and Unity party has escalated the criticisms from the opposition groups against the Somali President who combined gov’t tasks to party issues. They accused him that this will damage the accountability of the state.
In response to the opposition criticisms, the incumbent Somali President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has strongly defended the Somali armed forces. He put a question mark over the objective behind the opposition who criticize the power of the armed forces.
He said: “The politician who says that a unit of the armed forces cannot fight. What reality does he tell? Is he defending the militant group of Al-Shabab?”
The meeting that the opposition is due to hold in Mogadishu is expected to heighten the political tension, and is due to have an impact on election process, the ties with the central gov’t, the regional administrations and the unity of Somalia.
