Kismayo — The State Minister for the Puntland Presidency, Abdifatah Mohamed Abdinur, has urged President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to engage with the outcomes of the Somali Future Council conference, which concluded in Kismayo on Saturday.
In his address at the summit’s closing session, Minister Abdinur called on the president to prioritize national unity and warned that the current political trajectory risks further fragmenting the country.
“It is regrettable that the president fails to acknowledge the constructive purpose of this conference and instead pursues a divisive path,” Abdinur stated.
“He has dismissed Kismayo as though it were foreign territory and disregarded the collective wisdom assembled here. This is not the leadership we expected. The president should have welcomed this dialogue and its potential outcomes, not undermined it.”
Abdinur also emphasized the temporary nature of political power, reminding leaders of their ultimate accountability.
“Office is not permanent. He must recognize that authority cannot be retained indefinitely from behind a desk,” he added.
His comments followed a formal declaration by the Somali Future Council, which issued a one-month ultimatum for President Mohamud to convene all national stakeholders. The group set a deadline of January 20, 2026, to agree on a framework for timely elections.
In a communiqué released after three days of meetings, the newly established opposition coalition warned that if the president ignores their call, they will initiate an alternative electoral process to avert a constitutional crisis, state collapse, and heightened instability.
The summit assembled a broad coalition of political leaders, including Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni, Jubaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Ahmed Madobe), former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, former Prime Ministers Mohamed Hussein Rooble, Hassan Ali Khayre, and Abdi Farah Shirdoon (Saacid), alongside former minister Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame.
Organizers reported over 1,500 participants in attendance, including approximately 80 journalists. Discussions centered on Somalia’s delayed electoral timeline, as well as the nation’s pressing security, economic, and humanitarian challenges. Participants collectively criticized the current administration, accusing it of failed governance and policies that have deepened political divisions.
